


Our Lights Among City Nights

by MetamorphicRocky



Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: ;), Angst, Canonical Character Death, Dadspeed, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, I guess???, I'll update tags as need be because I don't wanna spoil stuff, M/M, Minor Injuries, Modern AU, Sick Character, Suicidal Thoughts, garycato - Freeform, this is...a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2020-11-26 04:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20924480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetamorphicRocky/pseuds/MetamorphicRocky
Summary: Little Cato has nowhere to go. No one to count on except himself in a world that couldn't care less about him. But he's fine! He can handle this, he's tough, and he's not going to just sit around and wait for someone to take pity on him, because no one will. All he needs is himself to survive.Now, if only that annoying blond guy would just leave him alone and stop bothering him.





	1. New York, New York

The sound of a heavy door awakens Little Cato, and he opens his eyes to see light flood in. He stretches out his back, listening to people bustling around outside. With a yawn, he stands, grabbing his bag and swinging it across his shoulders.

"Hey, kid! What the hell are you doing in here?"

Little Cato turns towards the voice to see several confused workers staring at him. He shrugs, snatching an orange out of the shipping container and running out of the truck. He can hear the men try to chase after him, but he just glances back with a grin and shouts, "Thanks for the ride!"

He has no idea where he is, but he's okay with that. God, it feels nice to not be cramped in the back of a trailer truck after being in there for a few days. Sure, he had gotten out to stretch once in a while, but it was still boring. That's fine though, as long as he's not in the same place as he started.

Little Cato sprints around the corner of the building to be met with the sight of a massive parking lot for a shopping complex. Well, he should've expected this. 

In the distance, he can see towering skyscrapers and hear the buzzing of a city that he's only seen in pictures. That skyline is immediately recognizable, and Little Cato smiles.

New York, huh? He did a pretty good job picking which truck to hitchhike on.

His hand dips into his pocket and pulls out his small wallet, and he checks to see how much money he has in there. Okay, there's more than enough for a bus ride into the main part of the city. He spots a bus stop nearby and runs towards it, purchasing a bus ticket just in time for the bus heading into the city to arrive. He climbs the steps, hands over the ticket, and slips into the corner in the back of the bus.

There are people on the bus eying him with suspicion, so he just curls up more in his seat, clutching his bag to his chest. He glares at a woman who dares to start to open her mouth, hissing to keep her quiet. She flinches back, and the few concerned passengers' eyes fill with disgust.

The ride passes. Luckily the new view keeps him entertained enough until he decides to hop off at a random station. 

Little Cato can't help but to just tilt his head back and stare up at the tall buildings around him in awe. He's not going to lie, it smells and looks just as disgusting as people say it does. But it's...home now. 

The Ventrexian sighs, and he starts walking around the city aimlessly. The sun is setting, and he can only tell by the way the sky dims from a groggy blue to an off-orange color. He knows that stars are nonexistent here, so there goes the little bit of familiarity he might've had.

The city is loud, hovercars honking and people shouting. It's...overwhelming, to say the least. The bustling streets and swarm of all sorts of people make him feel small. Smaller than he's ever felt before, and even more alone. His ears droop, and he holds his bag closer to himself as he continues shouldering his way through the crowd.

He could...do this. This is manageable. It's just New York. All he has to do is survive, right? Easy-peasy. He's going to do _so good_.

As he explores his new surroundings, he snacks on his orange and tries to memorize the layout. Despite the streets being numbered, there's so much new information that it's becoming a little difficult to keep track of things. Little Cato's lost, plain and simple.

"Why is it so confusing here?" Little Cato whispers under his breath. He groans in exhaustion and drops down onto a bench on the street. His face scrunches in disgust over the sticky feeling that comes with it.

If he had a phone, this would be so easy. But he doesn't because his life sucks.

A breeze passes through the street, rustling his fur and making him shiver. At this point, the sky has darkened completely, and the lights of the city that never sleeps are glowing in the hazy night. Honestly, after that long day of walking, Little Cato just wants to find a place to sleep for the night; he's done enough sight-seeing. He has...all the time in the world for that.

Little Cato crosses his arms, his tail swishing as he thinks of possible places to go. Hotel? Too expensive. Shelter? Nope, they have to report kids. Somewhere open all night? Most likely not for minors.

Fine, he'll sleep on the streets tonight. He can find a more permanent solution tomorrow. It'll be easier tomorrow.

* * *

**One Month Later**

"Hey!"

Little Cato's head whips towards the voice. "Not this guy again," he whispers.

"Kid! Get the hell out of here! If I see you again, I'm calling the cops!"

The Ventrexian sighs and hops down from the dumpster, snatching a newly tossed pastry despite the threat. He dashes off, shoving the danish into his mouth.

Well, Little Cato officially can say that he's been banned from every restaurant in the area. Cool. 

He stops running to slump against the side of a building, sighing heavily as he runs his hands down his face roughly. What is he going to do now? The kid didn't think it could have possibly gotten any worse from what his life was already, but he now stands corrected. 

There is an option he hasn't tried yet, but he doesn't want to do it. He's heard of an area in the city that tends to be pretty lawless and lax in people just hanging around without a purpose, but people here have described it as being shady. It has a large homeless population, so he could blend in. Even though he isn't homeless, he's just on his own and not currently in possession of a place to live. But not homeless.

Little Cato slams the back of his head against the wall with a groan of frustration. Screw it all, he's going. He...doesn't have anywhere else to go, so might as well try out his luck.

He reaches his hand into his pocket and pulls out his worn wallet. With a quick peek inside, he sees that he has enough for a train ticket to get him to where he's headed. He's tempted to glance at the only thing in his wallet other than his meager amounts of cash, but just the thought of looking at it makes his hand shake. He shoves it in his pocket, taking in a deep breath, then standing and walking to the nearest station.

There's no fanfare in leaving behind nothing or getting on the train. People on the train stare at him in disgust or judgement openly because New Yorkers apparently love to ridicule strangers incessantly with single glances. Little Cato just folds into himself even more to hide from the looks. He wishes he had a hoodie to disappear into, but his bag was stolen night one.

He spends the ride just like that, and he bounds off of the train and into the city the moment he reaches his intended stop. It's dark out now, and the Ventrexian is hit immediately by everything.

The neons of the building signs almost hurt his eyes from the gaudiness of it, and the people ambling about the street are definitely all inebriated. Or drugged...mostly likely both. The streets are rough and worn, the smell of the city stronger here than anywhere else he's been. Little  
Cato cringes at it all even though he knew what he was walking into.

He turns to look down a nearby alleyway and swiftly averts his eyes to avoid seeing whatever the hell _that_ was.

Bars and clubs and creepy stores line the streets as he wanders, looking for a spot that isn't totally terrible to crash for the night. Little Cato spots a fight across the street, catching the glints of knives passing between them, but he's so distracted that a man bumps into him heavily, causing him to falter where he's standing. Okay, maybe standing in the middle of the street is not the best move. 

Little Cato continues walking and averts his eyes whenever he notices something that he does not have any interest in seeing. All of a sudden, he feels a tap on his shoulder.

He turns around to see a tall blond man standing there, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. 

Little Cato glares at the the man in distrust, but the man just smiles calmly. The Ventrexian's fight reflexes are on stand-by in case this guy tries anything.

"Hey, this is your wallet, isn't it?" 

Blond guy takes a wallet out of his pocket and holds it out to him, and Little Cato snatches it right out of his hand the moment he realizes that it's his.

"How'd you get this?" Little Cato spits, shoving his one remaining possession deep into his pocket.

The man rubs the back of his neck. "I was gonna lie and say you dropped it, but I'll truth it. Some guy stole it from you, so I stole it back, plus I took his wallet as payback."

Little Cato glares even more fiercely at the man, hunching into himself and preparing to run at any moment.

The blond frowns and holds up his hands placatingly. Little Cato's interest is peaked by the metal arm he seems to be sporting, but he still doesn't trust this. 

"Just wanted to help out, kid. Speaking of, a kid your age shouldn't be out here alone. Where are your parents?"

The kid growls. "Mind your own business."

Before the man can get another word in, Little Cato runs off, weaving his way through the crowd. When he's far enough away from the guy, he swerves into an alley and takes his wallet out. And there is...more money? The guy didn't give him the wrong wallet because Little Cato can feel the picture hidden inside of it, so he gave him money? For what?

"Weirdo," Little Cato mumbles.

The alley he's standing in isn't the most disgusting thing he's ever seen, so it should be okay for the night. He walks deeper into the alley, plopping down next to a dumpster and pulling his knees to his chest. He tilts his head back against the wall and sighs. 

With the loud din of the city blaring constantly, party-goers screeching and electronic music playing in the distance, he hopes he can get some sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I don't know what this is, but the idea won't leave my head so now I'm writing it. I'm aiming for at least one update a week, but we'll see what college throws at me. It might be a little slow at first, but it'll pick up speed soon, I promise.


	2. The Thief

Little Cato is walking down the street, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to make him look more casual. He doesn't think it's working, but it's his first time. He should be okay. His target is a woman's open purse, and he can see the card wallet just waiting to be snatched.

A grain of guilt worms its way into his thoughts, but he pushes it aside. It's just one wallet, and he won't make this a habit. This is just a temporary fix for his lack of money. Yeah, just temporary.

She's almost in range. His nerves are acting up, but he needs to be casual about this. He can't afford to look obvious. She walks past him, his hand darts out to snatch it, but it gets stuck on something inside the purse. As he tries to yank it out, the woman pulls her purse towards her with a shout and punches him right in the jaw.

Little Cato falls to the ground in a heap, cradling his jaw as the lady glares at him. Oh hell, she's planning on beating him up some more. The kid scrambles to his feet and runs off, his cheek throbbing. 

First theft, not a success. Why does it always look so easy in the movies?

He can feel the bruise forming, but luckily his fur will hide the brunt of it. Damn, that lady knew how to throw a punch.

He sits on a bench with a long sigh, his tail swishing anxiously. He really needs a job or something stable, or maybe he could just try stealing again? It can't be as bad as the first time, can it?

Little Cato shivers from a strong gust of wind. A hoodie would be so nice right about now, with winter coming. It's already colder than he's ever felt before, and apparently it'll only get worse. He rubs his arms to gain some heat as he thinks about what his options for the day are.

Little Cato notices a now hiring sign on a store front. He doesn't know if they'll hire someone on the younger side, but this area of town is terrible enough that they would probably take him. Well, it can only go uphill from here.

Little Cato jumps up and crosses the street, walking down to the store. It just looks like a normal store with a bunch of random things inside, probably a pawn shop. That seems shady enough to hire him.

Before he walks in, the Ventrexian tries to fix his appearance a little bit. He frowns when he notices how he still looks like shit even if his fur is flattened down. Honestly, he hasn't looked at himself much, but he looks so tired and dirty. No wonder that lady was so mad someone like him tried to take her money. 

His shoulders slump, but he walks into the store anyways. Little Cato forces himself to look tough as he walks up to the counter and the very large man standing behind it. The man stares him down as he walks forward, but Little Cato tries not to let it bother him.

He stops in front of the man, who just raises an eyebrow at him. Little Cato clears his throat. "It says you're hiring."

The man laughs, booming and guttural, and Little Cato's ears fold back against his head with a deep frown. The man just continues to laugh.

"Not a chance, kid. Your little stunt earlier? Trying to steal a purse?" Little Cato's eyes widen, and the man smirks. "Yeah, stuff like that spreads. I don't want a thief like you in my store."

"I won't steal anything!" Little Cato pleads. "I'd never done it before, I'll stop! I can do anything you want me to."

The man shakes his head. "Nah, kid. You chose your path, now get out."

Little Cato glares, storming out with his arms crossed and anger brewing in his chest. So no job anywhere, perfect. Just another crappy thing to make his list of reasons as to why his life sucks even longer, that's exactly what he needs right now. The kid stares up at the sky in thought, and his expression hardens as a plan forms. 

If they want a thief, he'll give them a thief.

* * *

Four hours, and not a single success. Little Cato has been trying to steal things all afternoon and nothing has worked. The longer he goes without stealing anything, the more determined he is to do it. He just wants to prove that he can more than actually wanting money at this point. 

At least he hasn't been punched again. Small victories.

His stomach growls, taunting him over his failures. The Ventrexian huffs in frustration and bangs his head against a wall. He wishes that he could just melt into the brick and disappear, all of his problems being left behind. To his rising anger, that isn't possible in the slightest. The world must really hate him today.

Little Cato scrubs tiredly at his face. One more attempt for now, then he'll look for less appealing options.

He leans away from the wall and starts walking down the street, looking at every purse and pocket that could be up for grabs. Sometimes he hates his height, but he does have to admit that it makes it much easier to potentially snatch things. It's approaching the night, so more people worm their ways out of their buildings to go have a night out. Little Cato thinks he remembers something about crowds making stealing easier. 

His eyes catch on a wallet that's ripe for the picking, so he takes a deep breath and reaches his hand out, gracefully slipping it out of the man's pocket and into his own.

Little Cato is so shocked it worked that he stops walking for a moment, but he quickly keeps moving and slides into an alley. He rips the wallet out of his pocket and stares at it in disbelief, a small smile creeping onto his face. He opens the wallet to see what he's earned and—

No cash. None. His face falls as he stares at the useless credit cards. He doesn't have the pins nor the things necessary to get them, so that was a bust. He groans and tosses the wallet onto the ground.

Okay, at least he knows that he can steal, so this could be a success. Little Cato nods to himself, definitely wanting to count this is a win since he really needs one. He can do it again. Besides, it's good to practice skills. With newly found vigor, Little Cato stretches and cracks his knuckles with a smirk, preparing to go back out onto the street and keep going.

The Ventrexian bounds out of the alley with his tail swishing excitedly for the first time in a long while. He's going to get them _so good_.

He manages to snatch another wallet, but still no cash. Then another, yet no cash again. And another. Then one more. Then a purse. 

And nothing. No one in this city has cash or any cards that could be useful. 

Little Cato groans, rubbing his arms to lessen the cold. He glances up at the cloudy sky and concludes that this and everything else sucks.

He's done so much today, and he doesn't want to give up until he gets something. Especially now that he knows he can steal. Also, he's starving. The kid huffs and rolls his shoulders, starting the search for more people to rob. 

He spots one man walking through the crowd, his hands in his pockets of his jacket. Little Cato can see the bulge of a wallet in his jeans, so he's taking this one. 

He speeds up slightly to catch up to him. Once he's about an arm's length away, the kid reaches his hand out to take it, but his arm is caught by the man he's trying to steal from. The hand holds his wrist tightly so that he can't escape, but not enough to hurt. 

Little Cato's face blanches as he feels his heart drop into his stomach, fear and worry coursing through his veins. He is so screwed.

His eyes trail up towards to the man's face to see a shocked expression. Okay, that is definitely not what Little Cato was expecting. Wait, is this—?

"You're that kid from a while ago, right?" the blond asks.

Little Cato's eyes notice the metal arm, and he nods as his suspicions are confirmed. Same weird guy.

He glares at the man and tugs his arm, trying to break free of the hold. "Let me go," Little Cato says, tugging again. 

The man raises an annoyed eyebrow at him. "I don't think I will, seeing as how you just tried to steal from me."

"I won't do it again," he mumbles, starting to push the man's hand away.

"But you'll steal from someone else who won't be able to catch you." Little Cato stills at that, and the man sighs. "Kid, don't be a thief. It won't get you anywhere good."

Little Cato glares even more intensely at the man. "Like you would know anything," he says angrily.

The man steers them towards a building so that they're no longer standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He kneels down in front of Little Cato and grabs his shoulders, looking into his eyes with a serious expression.

"Trust me, I know. The only reason I caught you is because I know how to do it. I'll be honest though, you're obviously new at this but not bad. A little too slow and obvious when coming in, but you could probably—," the man cuts off his rambling abruptly, coughing into his hand awkwardly. "Okay, maybe complimenting you and giving you tips is the opposite of what I wanted to do."

Little Cato stands awkwardly, not knowing how to react to any of this. He feels like he's being reprimanded by a complete stranger, and he grimaces.

The man waves his hand around aimlessly, trying to think of the proper words. "So, don't steal. Yeah, that's—stop rolling your eyes, it's good advice—all I got."

"Can I go now?" Little Cato asks, being done with this whole thing.

The man purses his lips. He looks like he's contemplating something based on how he's looking from Little Cato to the area around them. The longer this goes on, the more Little Cato just wants to bite the guy and run.

"You, uh, want help?"

Little Cato freezes, staring at the blond in complete confusion. "What?"

He clears his throat. "Do you want help? I don't want to assume, but I'm _pretty sure_ that you don't have anywhere to go."

"I don't need your help," Little Cato spits. "I don't even know you, so I'm not gonna just go with some guy who supposedly used to steal stuff!"

"I know that it's probably hard—"

"Nope, I'm a busy guy, and I can handle things myself," the Ventrexian cuts off, crossing his arms and shoving the man's hands off of his shoulders.

The man sighs as Little Cato glares at him. He stands and reaches into his pocket, pulling out his wallet and taking some money out of it. "Here."

The kid stares at him incredulously. "I don't want your stupid money or your help!"

"Take it," the blond urges. 

"I don't need it!"

"You literally just tried to steal this from me!" he shouts frustratedly. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs heavily. "Okay, fine, whatever."

Little Cato's hand is grabbed suddenly as money is shoved into it, and the kid immediately tries to shove it back at the guy.

"Nope, that's yours now. No take backs!"

The guy starts backing away from a very confused Little Cato and turns around with a smile and wave, walking away without another word. Little Cato stands in the street and stares at the crumpled twenties in his hand, completely lost over what just happened.

Well, he's done stealing for the night, and he can eat decent food for once. Maybe he'll buy a jacket for the upcoming change in the season.

He shoves the money into his pocket, a weird feeling in his chest and a sting in his eyes.

"Weirdo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I UPDATED ON TIME. Break is next weekend for me and my workload has been okay for this week so I'll probably try to upload the next chapter in the middle of the week. We're getting more into the story now, but it's still gonna be a little slow.
> 
> Thanks for all of the love on the first chapter!!!!


	3. No Help at All

Apparently, more frequent street thefts cause a panic among people, which then leads to more people being cautious when they go out, and also just less people going to certain areas. With the incoming winter, the number of pockets to steal from really are getting low. 

Little Cato really needs that more permanent solution right about now.

Also a jacket. He regrets not budgeting his money better. A shiver runs through his spine, causing his fur to stand on end and pain to course through his cold limbs. This weather makes regret seem like an understatement. A cough forces its way out of Little Cato's throat, and the Ventrexian hurriedly stifles the next.

He's not getting sick. Sick is not a possibility. Being ill means that he's weak, and he is _not weak_. 

A little bit of cold won't kill him, right? 

Little Cato straightens his back. He's tough, and he can do this...even if he's tired. And hungry. And so, so weary from everything. 

He slips into an alley and slowly collapses onto the ground. His head rests against the cold metal of a building, sighing deeply then falling into a quick coughing fit. Little Cato groans after the fit subsides. 

The Ventrexian never thought that anything could be worse than the past three years of his life, but the world just had to go and prove him wrong. This is the most exhausted he's ever been, and he just wants everything to...to _stop_. Yeah, stopping would be nice.

Little Cato scrubs at his eyes, begging them to stay open. He hasn't been sleeping well for the past two months, and it is not helping him in the slightest. 

He needs a plan. A solid, foolproof plan to make money and not die. Stealing isn't a viable option anymore, and he still can't find a normal job. Little Cato's eyes widen as he remembers something, and he bolts out of the alley to hopefully have this new plan work.

* * *

Little Cato pants, forcing the oncoming coughs down painfully. Maybe running here wasn't the best idea in hindsight. He coughs once, his whole body shivering from the chilled wind. 

He gazes at the area around him, and he searches the building signs for any indication of the place he's looking for. The people on the street look as disheveled as he does, making him think that this might be the first place he'll ever fit in since forever. That thought gives him an extra boost of confidence, something that he hasn't had in a while, and allowing him to walk with more purpose down the street. 

After a few minutes of walking, his eyes catch on the building he wants. Little Cato nervously goes inside, then slips under a black curtain. The inside looks run down and seconds away from falling apart, but he continues on until he reaches yet another creepy curtain to slip under. 

"I want in," Little Cato says, standing as tall and as still as possible. 

The people in the room laugh mockingly, and his fur bristles as he squares his shoulders. His eyes harden as he frowns, making sure to show off his sharp fangs. 

"The little Ventrexian wants to join the Burner Tribe," the man, who Little Cato assumes is the leader, intones. He stands and towers over Little Cato menacingly, but the kid doesn't let it bother him. "What would you even bring to the table?"

Attempting to appear as tough as he needs to be, Little Cato sharpens his expression and clenches his fists. "I can do whatever you want."

A deep laugh rumbles in the leader's throat. "Anything, huh? You sure about that?"

The teasing glint in the man's eyes isn't lost to Little Cato, and he growls. He's so tired of people looking down on him. 

"Oh, you don't think I've got the goods?" Little Cato threatens before swiftly kicking the legs out from underneath another gang member and stealing his gun, pointing it at the leader. He allows a tiny smug smile to stretch across his face. "Name anything, and I'll do it."

The man grabs his gun-wielding arm and lifts him off of the ground effortlessly with a humph. Little Cato stays still as he scans him up and down in deep thought. His eyes pierce Little Cato's intensely for a few moments, then he lets go and turns away. Little Cato lands in a crouch and stands up, holding his arm where it was just held tightly.

"You join, you're in for good, Ventrexian. We'll use you tomorrow night."

The Ventrexian forces down the bright smile over something _finally_ going right in his life. When a gruff woman points out an area on the floor for him to sleep, he curls up in contentment and slips off to a semi-peaceful sleep for one of the first times in a good while.

* * *

Little Cato jogs to catch up with the Burner Tribe, their strides being much longer than his. The others are all clad in weather appropriate clothes while he's still sporting his sleeveless shirt and thin skirt and leggings combination. He wanted to ask for something better, but he knows that they wouldn't want to give him anything. 

"Ventrexian, you ever kill anyone before?" The leader asks.

Little Cato trips over the sidewalk as his breath leaves his body, and he lands hard on his knees.

_A gunshot, the eyes, two shouts, his shaking, the blood_—

"Stop it," he hisses under his breath, his hands shaking as he forces himself to keep moving. His heart is racing, but he steels his expression to appear normal. The guilt can't come now.

Little Cato coughs once to ensure that he can still talk through the developing anxiety. "...yeah," he responds

A gun is tossed at him, and he catches it easily. "Then you know what this is for."

He doesn't have any sort of holster, so he awkwardly shoves it in the waistline of his skirt. The cold metal is uncomfortable against his hip, shivers wracking his body.

Little Cato tries to calm his dredged up nerves, wanting to avoid thinking about...that. Focus on the task. Focus on now. Don't think about—

"Ventrexian, get on with it."

He blinks, staring at the building they're in front of currently. He's still shaken, memories pushing at his mind to break free and swarm him and overwhelm everything. His body moves on autopilot, his mind on the verge of snapping, and he scales the building and slips into the vents to unlock the door from the inside.

The wide-eyed boy manages to do his task through the haze, and the gang waltzes in without a second to waste to steal whatever it is.

"Is the building empty?"

Little Cato is so focused on the racing of his heart in his ears that he nods without hearing what the man says. He stands, a minnow in the ocean of his deepest buried thoughts, in the dark of wherever he is as the others march around to accomplish their goal.

The gunshot rings and rings and _echoes_ all around him as if he's _there_ and _he's dead dead dead and blood blood blood and the eyes are glossed over_—

"Hey!"

The kid is pushed back into reality by the shout of a voice he hasn't heard before, and his head turns to see a security guard staring at them all. The world pauses for a moment, then chaos breaks out as the guard rushes, and the Burner Tribe flees. Little Cato's legs move of their own accord as his brain desperately attempts to snap back to the present. 

He runs and doesn't know what he's running from, but it's danger and it's real and he needs to move _faster_.

Little Cato stops as he runs into a leg, and he falls back with a few coughs from sprinting blindly in the cold. He can hear swearing around him as his lungs are on fire, and he desperately tries to calm down his coughing fit.

"Ventrexian!"

Before Little Cato can properly process the shout, a massive fist connects with his head, and he slams into the ground. The kid groans, pain searing and pulsing through his face where he was hit. 

"You messed up everything!"

He chokes as a boot connects with his ribs, air rushing out of his lungs and bruises immediately forming. 

Someone throws a can at his back.

A kick to his arm. 

A boot tugging at his hair.

A rock to his face.

The onslaught continues, and his mind is so scattered and his body so much weaker that he couldn't possibly try to escape or fight. Maybe this is fine, if it ends like this. Maybe he deserves it. Maybe this is for everything he's done that he can never atone for. Maybe—

"Step away from the kid!"

One more kick connects with his leg, but then everything stops. Little Cato pants, his staccato breaths forming puffs in front of him from the cold. Blearily, he forces his eyes open to see brown boots and jeans standing at the opening of the alley. 

A deep, amused laugh sounds from somewhere near him. "And why should we?"

The boots step closer, and the people in front of Little Cato move just enough for him to see the full figure. The blond hair and shining metal arm attract his attention instantly, and his eyes widen.

"Because if you don't, I'll shoot," the human threatens.

A surprised gasp sounds from the gang.

"Goodspeed?" the leader questions, amusement in his voice. "I thought you ran away _long_ ago. You wouldn't dare shoot."

The man—Goodspeed, his name must be—smiles tauntingly. "Oh yeah? I've already done time, I'm not afraid to shoot." Without missing a beat, he shoots someone in the foot, and a scream rings out. Little Cato can hear a mumbled curse from the big man in charge. "Step away from him, or else the cops might catch you. You could probably do a few solid years of time from all that you've done."

The gang pauses for a few seconds, but they start backing away, finally bolting out of the alley and away from the blazing gun. 

"Hey, kid, are you okay?"

Little Cato stares blankly up at Goodspeed and nods his head, putting his hands underneath him to sit up. Goodspeed rushes towards him, grabbing his arms gently to help him. The moment he's upright, he bats the man's hands away.

"Spidercat, is anything broken?"

The Ventrexian's head turns towards the human. "Spidercat?"

Goodspeed pauses and gives a small smile. "I saw you do some insane parkour moves the other day. Do kids still call it that? Am I already out of the loop?"

Little Cato glares at him the best he can, pain making it hard to express anything other than extreme discomfort. Goodspeed's wince seems apologetic, and the man holds his hands awkwardly in front of himself, clearly wanting to touch Little Cato.

"I'm fine," Little Cato mutters, hissing as he breathes in.

Goodspeed doesn't look convinced. "You took a lot of hard hits there."

"I said I'm fine," he spits. "Can you just leave me alone?"

"You literally already have bruises forming, let me help," Goodspeed states, no longer asking permission. 

He gently sets a hand on the boy's shoulder, and Little Cato ignores the pain as he rips his body away from the man's touch. 

"I don't want your help!" Little Cato screams. "I don't need anyone, and I never will! So leave me alone!"

The blond's face falls, pity written all over his face. "Spidercat—"

"You don't know me, so stop trying to make me into your little pity case!" Little Cato can feel tears pooling in his eyes from the feeling of the gun on his hip and the sight of blood in the alley lit from the dim moonlight. "Just go away!"

Goodspeed brings his hands back to his side, and he stands from his kneeling position. A frown is set deep into his face, and Little Cato just becomes more pissed that this stranger would even bother with someone like him.

"Kid, are you sure—"

"Go away," Little orders angrily.

With a deep sigh, the man gives him one last look that he's too tired to understand and walks away.

Little Cato slumps against yet another cold wall, closing his eyes as he tries to ignore every inch of pain on his body. A weak sob worms its way out of his chest, and he wraps his arms around himself pathetically.

This is his life. This is what he deserves. Pain and cold and suffering. What he did is why he's here now, feeling small droplets of freezing rain drip onto his fur. 

Gently, Little Cato reaches into his pocket and removes his wallet. His fingers slip into one of the pockets, taking out a folded piece of paper. He unfolds it, staring at the picture with glazed over eyes and tears pooling in the corners. The smiles make his heart ache, his dad's arm around him making him long for that touch even more. The lonely boy holds the picture close to his chest, curling around it protectively. 

When he drifts off to sleep that night, it is not peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love literally every single one of you for liking this giant mess, y'all are fantastic.
> 
> Things are gonna start to heat up from now on, so prepare yourselves.


	4. Exhaustion

Exhaustion seeps deep into his bones. Is this what old people feel like all the time? Just tired as if they've never slept before? Little Cato honestly doesn't know the last time he really slept. 

Also, he has no clue what day it is. Holiday decorations are beginning to cover the streets and stores, so it must be around November. Probably. Unless he's just really out of it, which is completely possible. 

Little Cato coughs, and it really feels like he's about to hack up a lung. His throat is scratchy, his face feels too warm, and he might collapse at one point. Actually, collapsing sounds pretty nice...later. Right now, he needs food which has been scarce lately. Mainly because he's freezing and dead tired, so running about the city on a hunt for something that looks vaguely edible. 

Life sucks. That's all he has to say. Everyone and everything sucks.

The gun on his hip bounces as he walks. Little Cato's mind drifts, thoughts that have been swirling around his head recently surfacing again. If he used it, he wouldn't have to do this anymore. Or anything. He could just...disappear. It would be simple and painless if he does it right. No one will miss him.

His hand presses against the side of the gun, the option clear. There's just...something about it that feels wrong, though. 

People call it cowardly, don't they? It's quitting? Would his dad see it as cowardice?

But he doesn't deserve to live, either, after everything he's done....

"Spidercat?"

Little Cato tilts his head up and frowns. Of course it has to get worse. 

"Go away," Little Cato mutters, quickening his pace to leave Goodspeed behind.

The man walks at a normal pace alongside him. "You know, I think most people would say that it's kinda rude to disrespect your elders."

Little Cato rolls his eyes. "You're not even that old, so it doesn't apply."

The man has the audacity to smile at that. "Well, thank you for not calling me old."

He is so done with all of this. If he already wasn't thinking about using his gun, this would have pushed him over the edge. 

"Okay, cool. Now leave me alone," Little Cato bites.

He sees Goodspeed frown out of the corner of his eye, and Little Cato hates how he knows what's coming. This guy is so annoyingly predictable.

"How are your injuries?" he asks, sounding concerned. 

"Good." The bruises are still there, and his ribs haven't had time to heal from all of his damn coughing. "You did your part, you can leave now," Little Cato says sarcastically.

"Spidercat, I—"

Little Cato cuts him off by slipping down an alley. He turns to look back to see the man standing there, staring at him sadly. How many times does he have to spell it out to Goodspeed that he doesn't need him?

He groans, scrubbing at his face. Well, being mad is better than nothing. He starts his hunt for food again.

* * *

Little Cato stares at that stupid metal arm waving. He saw him yesterday, but now he has to see him again? The Ventrexian glares at him before Goodspeed even opens his mouth, and the man drops his arm with a sigh. 

"No, I don't want your help. Also don't talk to me," Little Cato says, getting right to the point.

Goodspeed puts his hands on his hips, lifting an eyebrow. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Little Cato isn't amused. "Okay, not in a joking mood, got it."

The man stands there awkwardly, staring down at Little Cato. He stares back, and they stand in the middle of the sidewalk, locked in a really uncomfortable staring contest that isn't really a contest at all. Little Cato shifts his focus to something else for a few moments, but when he glances back, Goodspeed is still staring.

"Do you, like, need something?" Little Cato asks. He wraps his shivering arms around his torso to look less pathetic and conserve what little heat he has. 

"The offer still stands if—"

Little Cato turns on his heel and walks away, shouting over his shoulder, "Nope, not gonna happen."

Once he's far enough away that Little Cato can't see the man above the crowd, he coughs violently. This cold has been really annoying and debilitating. 

He touches the gun again, shivering as his fingers touch the cold metal. His ears droop, and his eyelids feel so much heavier than they should be.

Should he...?

Little Cato shakes his head. He's not...ready to disappoint his dad yet again.

* * *

Little Cato sees Goodspeed again the next day. And the next, then the day after that. On and on, every day, he runs into the same annoying man. 

Little Cato doesn't know if he's just now used to the constant presence, or if he's just too tired to care anymore, but he can't find it in himself to yell at him to go away every time. He just glares at him and walks away. 

And every day that passes, the less and less he tries to get up and find food. It won't happen, and his sickness is really affecting him now. 

The gun looks more tempting.

He is so _tired_....

* * *

Nights are the coldest and the loneliest. If Little Cato has to guess, he's willing to bet that the temperature has to be below freezing. He can't imagine anything colder than this. Honestly, the boy is surprised that he's still alive. 

Well, natural selection will probably take him out soon. The fever sure will if the cold doesn't first.

He's panting, leaned up against a dumpster because there's literally nowhere else to go, curled into a small ball. 

Little Cato wants...to sleep. Maybe for a few hours, maybe forever. Either way, his eyes somehow hurt too much to close. And whenever he drifts off, the guilt of knowing how much of a disappointment he is forces his eyes back open. Even his dreams know how horrible he is.

As he sits and shivers, patiently waiting for something to just stop, he hears the crunch of glass at the end of the alley. 

He doesn't turn to look, it doesn't matter. 

He sighs, and it brings on a coughing fit.

The sound of boots move quickly towards him, and Little Cato thinks that it's okay if he's about to be murdered. It's not the worst thing that will have happened to him. 

"Spidercat, are you okay?"

Little Cato's eyes widen, and he painfully lifts his head up to see Goodspeed staring at him in the dim moonlight. The man is kneeled down in front of him, a concerned expression on his face. Little Cato puts all of his little remaining energy into glaring at him. 

"Don't even," Little Cato sighs.

"Kid, you look terrible," he says worriedly.

Little Cato shakily sits up, just to look even the slightest bit intimidating. "Leave me alone."

Goodspeed doesn't look impressed with his current state as he presses his mouth into a firm line. The man's hands are reaching out to Little Cato, but not touching. 

"Kid, I—," the blond cuts himself off, sighing as he rubs a hand down his face. "Okay, how about a deal? I'll leave you alone if you let me buy you dinner."

Little Cato opens his mouth in shock. "What?"

"You clearly don't want me to get involved in your life, so I'll leave you alone, on the condition that I buy you dinner right now," he says, smiling slightly.

Little Cato is weary about that. It sounds like there will be a catch. Of course, he just had to run into this guy again, not get murdered like he wanted.

"No catch, Spidercat. Just dinner, and then you'll never see me again," he promises. 

Oh, he said all of that out loud? Wow, he really is not having a good week. 

The kid wants to refuse the offer because he doesn't need help, but he's too tired to put up a fight. If Goodspeed stops bothering him, then he might finally get a little bit of peace. 

Little Cato puts his hand against the wall, bracing himself as he stands up. His legs feel like they might give out on him, but he glares at Goodspeed the second the man tries to help him. Fortunately, the man backs off and lets him stand on his own. 

When Little Cato is standing without thinking he'll collapse any second, he starts walking, and Goodspeed easily takes the lead. They don't speak as Little Cato is led to who knows where. His legs are so sore that he really is surprised that he's walking semi-steadily.

Little Cato continues to shuffle down the street until Goodspeed stops. He looks at the building they're in front of to see a very old diner, the design of the building looking like nothing he's ever seen before. 

The blond holds the door open for him, and he awkwardly walks in. The warmth of the diner is almost overwhelming after being in the freezing cold for weeks. The bell on the door makes the few people in the diner turn towards them, and Little Cato feels very self-conscious. He really does look terrible. 

"Sit anywhere," someone says.

Goodspeed walks right in, leading them to a secluded booth away from the majority of the people. A waitress slaps down some menus in front of them and walks away to another table. 

"You know, I don't think I've ever properly introduced myself. The name's Gary," the man, Gary, says, smiling and holding out his hand to shake. Little Cato just stares at it. "You can shake it, I won't bite."

"But I do," Little Cato states.

Gary bursts out laughing, banging a fist against the table as Little Cato stares at him in pure confusion. The blond keeps laughing over it. 

"That was good!" Gary says in between laughs. "For a kid who tries to look pissed all the time, you sure do have a sense of humor."

Little Cato doesn't know how to respond, so he just stares at the all day breakfast menu. 

"Can I get you anything to drink," a waitress asks.

"Two hot chocolates," Gary says enthusiastically. "Extra marshmallows, extra whipped cream, and extra sprinkles if you can."

She writes it down and walks away. Little Cato stares at the man in confusion that he didn't even let him choose, but Gary just winks. 

"Trust me, you'll love it. What are you gonna order?" Gary asks, smiling at Little Cato. 

He shrugs. "I dunno."

"Well," Gary starts. "You can get anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Freakin' anything."

"_Anything_?"

"I just said freakin' anything," Gary says with a laugh. 

Little Cato's mouth opens, but he closes it again. He just stares back down at the menu, not knowing what to do with all of the possible choices. 

The waitress comes back with two massive hot chocolates, and Little Cato's mouth drops open. Gary orders something that Little Cato misses, but when the waitress turns to him he just says, "Chocolate chips pancakes."

The menus are taken away, and Little Cato carefully reaches out and pulls the hot mug closer to himself. The warmth seeps into his hands, and he never wants it to go away. It genuinely doesn't feel real to be holding _hot chocolate_. Slowly, Little Cato licks at the whipped cream and melts over how good it is. 

Gary is smiling across from him, but it looks tight for some reason. "Told you it would be good."

Little Cato sips a tiny bit of his hot chocolate, deliciously sweet goodness overwhelming him completely. His eyes begin to sting, and he quickly tries to blink the tears away. 

"Why are you doing all of this?" Little Cato asks, his voice trembling.

Gary sighs, resting his cheek on a fist. "I just wanna help."

"Why?!"

"I know what it feels like, kid," he says seriously. "To be alone out there. My life wouldn't be what it is today if someone had just helped me when I was a kid. It's tough out there, so I just thought that it wouldn't hurt to try to help.

"I know that I said after this I would leave you alone, but if you want, you can come home with me? It doesn't have to be permanent or anything, just for as long as you want, I guess? Just—," Gary sighs, running a hand through his hair. "You can stay with me as long as you like, and if it doesn't work out we can look for something else. And if you don't want to, I get it. So I'll leave you alone like promised. It's all up to you."

Gary smiles encouragingly but sadly, and Little Cato remains silent. All of this is a lot to process.

Their food comes, and they fall into silence. Little Cato takes his first bite of pancake dipped in syrup. 

He drops his fork onto his plate as everything comes crashing down on him at once. Tears start dripping down his cheeks, and Little Cato wipes them away as more flow from his tired eyes. He can't stop a sob from bubbling out of his chest, so he drops his head down onto the table.

"Woah! Hey, what's wrong?" Gary questions, scrambling out of his seat to kneel next to Little Cato. "Is the food bad?"

Little Cato shakes his head, his crying becoming more intense. "I feel so alone," he chokes out.

Gary frowns sympathetically. "You're not alone. Not if you don't want to be."

The blond reaches out a hand and places it on Little Cato's shoulder. Usually, he would want to shove him away and yell, but the touch is comforting now. He hasn't...this is the first person in years who has even tried. 

Little Cato hiccups, then nods. "Okay."

The man pauses for a moment, then his face breaks out into a grin. The hand on his shoulder moves to rub his back, and Gary nods. "Okay. Just remember that all of this is up to you, alright?"

Little Cato nods, and Gary gives his shoulder a squeeze before returning to his side of the booth to finish eating. The Ventrexian's tears don't stop as he enjoys his pancakes. It's one of the best things he's ever eaten. 

Gary walks up front to pay while Little Cato finishes his hot chocolate. He's...kind of worried, but this is really only one of two options. It's only temporary. 

The blond walks back, dropping a large tip on the table with a smile. "Always tip service workers, they're the backbone of society."

Little Cato shoves one last piece of pancake in his mouth and stands up. They walk towards the door, and before Little Cato walks out, Gary taps him on the shoulder. When he looks up, the blond is holding out his leather jacket. 

"It's cold out, and you need it more than me. We can get you a coat that fits later."

For a moment, he hesitates, but Little Cato takes the jacket anyways and puts it on. He zips it up, and it looks like the weirdest dress ever. Gary is failing to hide a smile over it, but Little Cato is too tired and warm to care. 

They walk out into the night, the lights of the city bright against the dark, empty sky. He still feels the chill of the wind, but the jacket keeps him warm enough as they walk for several minutes. Little Cato doesn't watch the scenery go by. Instead, he watches the way Gary shivers slightly, his hands in his jean pockets, the neon lights reflecting on his messy blond hair.

Gary finally walks up to a building, pulling out a set of keys to open the door. Little Cato walks into what looks to be a mechanic's shop, but he doesn't look for long as Gary ushers him up a flight of stairs, apartment doors lining the hallway. The human unlocks one of them, and they enter into a medium-sized studio apartment. 

"Chookity!"

All of a sudden, as Gary flicks the lights on, a green blur zooms and collides with Gary. Little Cato freezes as the green ball cuddles with Gary's face, the man laughing. 

"Oh, Spidercat! This is Mooncake," Gary introduces. "He's harmless, I promise."

Mooncake hovers down in front of Little Cato, and he carefully reaches out a hand. Mooncake nuzzles into it, and Little Cato's mouth opens in surprise. It's kind of...nice.

"Do you want to go take a shower? I'll try to find something that could maybe fit you," Gary says, walking further into the apartment.

Little Cato nods, spinning around to look at everything.

"Hello there."

Little Cato jumps, being surprised by the robot that is now standing very close to him.

"Uh...," Little Cato trails off.

Gary walks back over to him, handing him a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. "This is HUE, don't mind him for now. I can introduce you better in the morning, but there's a clean towel and everything in the bathroom right over there."

The boy nods, walking off as he hears Gary start up a conversation with HUE.

He enters the bathroom and locks the door, starting the hot water and getting in as quickly as possible. The shower passes in a blur, the hot water and all of it being so satisfying that he doesn't think about a damn thing. He's missed this kind of stuff, soap and being clean feeling like a faraway commodity. Little Cato is almost tempted to sleep in the shower, the hot water calming his rattled nerves and making him feel sleepy. 

But he gets out, slowly drying his fur, and he puts on the shirt that's very big on him and the shorts that actually fit. The Ventrexian takes his old and tattered clothes out with him, and he sees Gary sitting at a stool on his phone.

Little Cato nervously shuffles up to Gary. The man smiles when he notices him, standing up and helping him put his clothes in the washer. 

Little Cato still feels like none of this is actually happening, but he just trails after Gary quietly. 

"You can take the bed," Gary says, gesturing to it.

"What?" Little Cato says unbelievingly. "I don't wanna take your bed."

Gary brushes him off. "Don't worry about it, I sleep on the couch most of the time anyways."

Little Cato feels bad, but he climbs into it anyways. Oh god, the blankets are _so soft_. 

"Need anything?" Gary asks. The boy shakes his head. "Okay, well, uh...if you need anything, help yourself or get me. Good night, Spidercat."

Little Cato watches as Gary walks over to the kitchen side of the apartment, sitting back down into the stool. He watches the man's movements for a few seconds, and then he lays down on the bed, pulling the blankets up around him.

It's so different from what he's had for the past few months that it overwhelms him again. He wipes the tears away as an emotion he isn't used to feeling worms its way into his chest. It almost feels like...hope?

Little Cato snuggles into the pillow, closing his eyes. He falls asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE BOY IS FINALLY WITH HIS DAD!!!! Now they can bond, so the Dadspeed really begins now.


	5. Apartment Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://tuusenskona.tumblr.com/post/188528180094/their-food-comes-and-they-fall-into-silence
> 
> my boy mattie drew fanart for the last chapter and let me just say: it is so blessed please check it out

Everything is so soft and comfy, a weight on top of his body that feels perfect. Is this what heaven feels like? Nothing is better than how Little Cato feels right now. His chest and throat feel tight, and a headache is making its presence known, but it doesn't matter. 

This is the best he has felt in literal years. 

He snuggles his face into the soft thing beneath him, ready to stay here for the rest of his life. Little Cato sighs contently, wrapping his arms around the pillow and nestling under the blankets and comforter.

His eyes are closed, so when something cold and metal grabs his ear, he panics. Little Cato sits up, his eyes wide open to see a yellow robot pinching his ear. 

"Ooh, you're new! And fluffy!"

The robot starts wrapping its arms around him, so Little Cato screams as he shoves the robot off of him, leaping out of bed and rushing out the door. The robot trails after him, laughing maniacally as Little Cato sprints down the stairs. He rips open the door at the bottom of the stairwell, crashing onto the ground and scrambling through the garage.

"Oh, Spidercat!" Gary greets, waving at Little Cato from his seat further back, messing with some sort of machinery. Little Cato bolts towards Gary and slides behind him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Little Cato is about to mention the robot, but he falls into another coughing fit, this one worse than every previous one. He doubles over, practically choking out a lung as his throat burns. Gary leaves him there for a few moments as he runs off to somewhere else, but the man comes back soon enough with a glass of water. 

Gary hands him the cup, and Little Cato tries to stop his coughing long enough to take a sip. It takes a while, but finally he can breathe normally again. 

"Kid, you alright? That sounded pretty nasty," Gary asks as Little Cato chugs down the water.

He nods, then noticing the yellow robot coming down the stairs. "What the hell is that?" Little Cato croaks, his throat messed up from his coughing. 

Gary turns, groans, and stands. His hands are crossed over his chest as the robot flies right up to Gary's face and squishes it. 

"He woke you up, didn't he," Gary deadpans.

"Yeah."

Gary pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Oh my god, KVN, I gave you one rule. Don't wake the kid up. But you're a complete failure at everything, so of course you did!" Gary shouts exasperatedly, grabbing KVN and shaking him violently. 

"Well, it's not my fault that he woke up," KVN complains.

Gary turns to Little Cato. "What'd he do?"

"He grabbed my ear."

Gary punches KVN with his metal arm, making the robot spin dizzily. "Okay, you know what you're doing now? You're gonna go do the one task that you somehow haven't failed miserably at."

KVN salutes him. "Anything for my best friend!"

The robot floats away, and Gary faces the kid again, shaking his head. "I hate him. So much."

"Then why is he around?" Little Cato asks. 

"Honestly? No clue. He was assigned to me during my prison sentence and now he just won't go away, even though I tried to destroy him way too many times," Gary explains, running a hand through his hair tiredly. 

Little Cato's eyes widen out of curiosity. "You went to prison? For what?"

Gary laughs awkwardly, squeezing the back of his neck. "Well, to keep it short, don't get in a cop chase with the gang you're apart of. Especially when you're impersonating a cop."

"You got to chase people in a cop car?!"

"Yeah, but the government didn't like it, let me tell you that."

Little Cato gasps, staring at Gary in awe, "That is so cool!"

The man laughs, and Little Cato coughs a few more times. Gary stops, kneeling down in front of Little Cato and reaching his hand towards his face. Little Cato takes a step back reflexively, and he only feels slightly guilty when Gary's face falls.

"Can I? I wanna see if you have a fever 'cause you don't sound or look too good," Gary says softly.

Little Cato pouts, folding his ears against his head. "I'm fine."

He is definitely not fine by normal standards, especially knowing that he absolutely has a fever, but he still doesn't want...this.

"Spidercat, come on. Just a few seconds, and then hands off for as long as you want," the man pleads, holding his hand out, patiently waiting.

Gary hasn't done anything bad to him for the whole time he's known him, but he's still a stranger. It's...just a few seconds. Little Cato can handle that. Plus, he's still too tired to really put up a fight.

Little Cato shuffles closer to Gary slowly, and the blond gives him a small smile. The kid stiffens as the back of Gary's hand is placed on his forehead, the touch too intimate after having nothing like this for years. He counts down the seconds to distract himself from the strange emotion the contact makes him feel. When the hand pulls away, Little Cato hates that he misses it immediately.

Gary has a deep frown set into his face. "Okay, I'm no scientist, but that felt pretty bad. You should, uh, go back to bed. I'll run to the store and get medicine. HUE's here if you need anything."

Gary finger guns Little Cato, backing away and grabbing his wallet off of a counter.

"You don't have to—"

"Be back in twenty!"

The door slams shut behind him, and Little Cato stands in awkward silence, suddenly becoming very aware of how cold the ground is on his bare feet. He coughs again, then trudges slowly back upstairs to the apartment, the door left wide open from when he ran out. Little Cato winces, hoping that no one stole anything. 

He walks in, shutting the door behind him. Little Cato is used to not knowing what to do, but...this is a whole different level of clueless because he has options for the first time.

He could sit on a stool or the couch. He could go back to sleep. He could even just walk around in circles. Maybe open and close the fridge. 

Or...he could leave.

Little Cato feels guilty over even thinking that, but it would be so easy to steal some money and bolt. It's not like he owes Gary anything, it was his choice to try putting up with him.

No, no, this is a bad train of thought.

The Ventrexian walks over to the bed and crawls in, curling up into a miserable ball under the blankets. All of this is so much to deal with at once. 

"Chookity pok?"

He lifts his head up to see Mooncake hovering close to his face, a neutral expression on his face.

"Um, hey?"

Mooncake squishes against his face, shoving his way under the blankets and into Little Cato's arms. 

"Oh, uhhhh...," Little Cato trails off as the little green ball cuddles up against his chest. Mooncake hums, and the feeling of it is surprisingly calming. "Actually, this isn't that bad."

Mooncake smiles at Little Cato, and he tentatively smiles back. "Chookity!"

"I have no clue what that means, but sure," Little Cato says quietly, shifting his position on the bed and getting accustomed to the way a soft bed feels. 

Now that he's more aware of everything after getting sleep for the first time and eating actual food, the fever is really noticeable. Any relief he felt over being comfortable is gone from how bad the fever makes him feel.

Little Cato mindlessly pets Mooncake as he stares at a random appliance in the kitchen, the silence in the apartment being too quiet. He's so used to the constant chatter of the city that this remote, warm place is so far out of his comfort zone, despite this being the most comfortable bed in the world.

His ears pick up on keys jangling outside, and Little Cato watches as the door is kicked open, Gary holding plastic bags up victoriously as the door slams into the wall.

"I got the goods!" Gary shouts, dropping the bags onto the bed as he sits on the edge.

Little Cato pushes himself into a sitting position, and Mooncake is still snuggled into his arms as he watches Gary pour everything out of the bags to rifle through. 

"Bonding with Mooncake, I see," the man mentions as he tries to open a thermometer.

"What is he?"

"Truth? No freakin' idea, but he's too cute to get stuck on that for long." Gary gives Mooncake a quick pet as he reads over the thermometer instructions quickly. "Okay, I guess this just goes over your forehead? I'll make it quick."

The moment it touches his face, he shivers. "It's cold."

Gary takes it off when it beeps, and he stares at the reading in shock. "Yeah, I bet that would be cold when you have a _102 degree fever_. I don't wanna overdose you, so how old are you?"

"Thirteen," Little Cato says right before he starts coughing again.

Gary raises an eyebrow. "Really?" Little Cato gives him an unimpressed look. "Okay, just wanted to check. Now drink this."

Little Cato takes a small medicine cup from him and downs what's inside, grimacing at the flavor. Gary hands him another, and it just makes all of it taste even worse.

"Ew," Little Cato complains.

Gary smiles. "Yeah, it doesn't taste fantastic, but you need it. Get some sleep now, I'll be downstairs. Mooncake can stay with you, so if you need anything, he'll come grab me. I'll, uh, check up on you though. From time to time."

Gary stands up, lingering next to the bed as if he's debating something. Little Cato lays back down, and Gary's hand reaches out for a moment. Little Cato is almost hoping that Gary does it, but the man sighs and pulls away, leaving the apartment quietly. 

Little Cato doesn't understand why he's sort of sad that the touch didn't happen, but he ignores the weird feeling of absence as he falls asleep, Mooncake nestled in his arms.

* * *

Everything seems to be fine to Little Cato, as Gary checks up on him once an hour. He makes soup and hot chocolate, which is quickly becoming one of Little Cato's favorite things. 

But over the course of the past two days, things have gotten worse. His fever is apparently much higher than before, and Gary has been panicky.

A hand on his shoulder gently shakes him, and Little Cato moans in response.

"'m hot," the kid mumbles into the pillow. 

"I know, it'll get better soon."

"Gary, if this continues for much longer—"

"HUE, I get it. Not now."

Little Cato hums as a cold wash cloth is placed on his forehead, abating some of the discomfort from feeling overheated. 

Everything is so...fuzzy and loud and colorful. "There's a lot," Little Cato mumbles as his temperature is taken again. 

"Try to get some more sleep, okay? I'm going back downstairs."

The weight on the bed disappears, and Little Cato panics in his feverish daze. He can't leave, _no no no_.

His hands frantically reach out, trying to snatch anything he can find, and he latches onto a hand. Little Cato pulls it desperately towards him, tugging as hard as he can in his weakened state.

"Don't go," Little Cato pleads.

"I'm just going downstairs to work, I'll be back in like an hour."

"Dad please," he begs, wrapping his arms around the hand in his desperation. "Don't go."

The man stills. "Spidercat, I'm not—"

"Dad, don't go. Please please please," Little Cato cries. He's sitting up now, trying desperately to not lose him again.

"Okay, okay, I'm staying." His dad sits down on the bed against the headboard, and Little Cato curls up in his lap. "Go to sleep now."

His dad's hand feels different than he remembers as he strokes his head, occasionally scratching behind Little Cato's ears. Despite the pain of the fever, Little Cato manages to fall asleep with the help of his dad's calming presence.

* * *

Three days later, Little Cato sits in a stool at the kitchen counter, his hands in his lap and his tail swishing idly as Gary checks his temperature. He's feeling so much more coherent after a week of being out. 

The thermometer beeps, and Gary checks its reading and smiles. "Back to normal at last!"

Little Cato slumps in relief, resting his head against the countertop. "Finally," he sighs.

"You were really out of it one day. Glad you're feeling better, kiddo," Gary says cheerily.

Gary reaches out a hand towards Little Cato's head unconsciously, but he stops when he realizes what he's doing. Little Cato doesn't want to back away because he has the faintest memory of Gary comforting him while he was out of it, and he thinks he wants it again? He can...handle it. Yeah, it'll be totally fine.

So, Little Cato just stares up at Gary from where his head is still resting on the counter with as open of an expression as he can muster, inviting the contact with a tiny nod. Gary smiles softly, and he ruffles Little Cato's messy hair. 

It feels...nice, a different type of warm from the fever that he wouldn't mind if it stays. Little Cato doesn't try to hide the small smile that tugs on his lips. 

"Is that a smile I see? Didn't think a tough guy like you could do it," Gary teases, ruffling his hair once more before walking to the other side of the counter. 

Little Cato wipes the smile off of his face and crosses his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Gary rolls his eyes with a knowing smirk. "Whatever you say, Spidercat."

The human slides a plate of pancakes towards the kid, and Little Cato immediately drenches them in syrup. He could and will eat pancakes for the rest of his life because these things are so much better than he remembers. 

Little Cato's mind drifts to thinking about how long this will last before Gary realizes how terrible he is, but he pushes those thoughts away. He can worry about it when the time comes. 

For now, pancakes, weird hugs from little green aliens, and the very strange human man that he surprisingly doesn't hate are the only things he wants to think about....

Especially the pancakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To every single person who reads this mess, I love you. You are all fantastic. To reward you for that, the next couple chapters will be as fluffy as I can make them. You get a break from the angst.


	6. Buying Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://butterflyscribbles.tumblr.com/post/188571302656/metamorphicrocky-your-latest-masterpiece-is
> 
> more fanart...merry I fucking love you so much you beautiful you

Little Cato is sitting on the cold cement ground of the shop, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders to prevent him from getting sick again with his supposed "weakened immune system," as HUE likes to say. He doesn't eat properly for a few years, and now he'll drop dead if he catches a serious cold?

To say the least, it's annoying...except the blanket. The blanket is ridiculously soft.

Little Cato hides a small smile in his hot chocolate as he watches KVN snip a tube of the car Gary is lying under, causing motor oil to spray Gary in the face. Gary rips the tube out and pushes himself out from underneath the car, his hair and face dripping in oil. 

"KVN! Are you for serious?!" Gary shouts.

"I'm making helpful repairs!"

Gary stares at him in disbelief. "Nothing you have _ever_ done has been helpful! And it never will!"

Mooncake flies up to KVN. "Chookity!"

KVN looks excited, and then the two of them fly off. Little Cato still has no idea how Mooncake says anything that can be understood, but Gary seems like he knows what was said.

"I don't know how Mooncake can handle him," Gary says, wiping his face off with a towel. "Dang it, now I'm gonna have to go get a replacement."

Gary runs a hand through his hair, causing his already greasy hair to slick back in the dumbest way possible. Little Cato can't help but to snicker, but it attracts Gary's attention. 

"What, you think it's funny?" Gary asks, taking his hand and dragging his fingers around his mouth. 

Little Cato starts laughing over the beard made of oil and grease on Gary's face, curling into himself in an attempt to calm down. He dares to look at Gary's befuddled face again, but his laughing just becomes more intense. His chest and throat hurt from how hard he's giggling, but the sheer stupidness of Gary's entire appearance is the funniest thing he has seen.

Gary joins Little Cato's hysterics, and the two of them collapse on the ground as they completely lose their minds. Tears pool in Little Cato's eyes as he wheezes and wheezes. 

Finally, after what feels like hours, they both stop. His lungs are burning, and Little Cato feels so..._light_. The feeling is not normal in the slightest. 

Gary stands, a bright smile on his face. "I think I'm gonna go hit the shower to get rid of this whole mess." He gestures to his entire face and body. "When I'm done, let's go shopping so I can get that part and so _you_ no longer have to wear my stuff."

Little Cato glances down at the oversized shirt, not seeing the problem until the blanket falls into his lap, exposing the shirt slipping off of his shoulder completely. Has it always been that big on him?

"I can just wear my old clothes," Little Cato says, climbing to his feet with his hot chocolate.

Gary looks at him in shock. "Are you kidding? Those things practically unravelled in the washer, they were so messed up."

"But—"

"Shower then shopping, got it?" Gary says, finger gunning him and then bolting up the stairs.

Little Cato huffs and wraps his blanket tighter around his shoulders, sipping chocolatey goodness from his mug. He still can't figure out why it tastes so good, but it's not something to complain about. 

Shopping is not...ideal. Not in the slightest. Clothes cost money, and he already feels bad that Gary has spent so much on him. The hot chocolate doesn't taste as good anymore.

He trudges back upstairs and flops onto the bed with a groan. Little Cato just wants everything to make sense and stop spinning viciously around him while he tries to snatch the pieces out of a hurricane of problems. All he's done for the past week is sleep, yet he's so exhausted that he would never have known if he hadn't lived it. 

Life is complicated, he decides. Little Cato doesn't necessarily like it very much. 

Despite Gary saying his clothes are ruined, Little Cato quickly changes into clothes that actually fit. He glances at his reflection in the mirror, and he still looks too haggard and pathetic. He cards his hand through the fur on his face with a frown, hating its length.

"Spidercat, you good?"

Little Cato turns his head towards Gary, the man holding out a hoodie for him with an unreadable expression on his face. Little Cato nods and takes the hoodie without saying a word.

Gary doesn't seem convinced. "Are you...do you, uh, want a haircut? It might—I don't know—make it easier?"

The Ventrexian stares at Gary's nervous expression and shrugs. 

Gary stares back. Then, he claps his hands and gently starts pushing Little Cato towards the door.

"Okay, we're getting you a haircut and a jacket and clothes and literally anything else you want," the blond says excitedly.

"But—"

"Nope, this is happening now!"

Little Cato tries his hardest to hide in the hoodie as the guilt creeps up on him.

* * *

Little Cato hasn't peeked to see what the haircut looks like, but he just stares at Gary in the waiting area while the lady works. It's taking all of his willpower to not be ridiculously uncomfortable every time she touches him. But...Gary wanted this....

He can do it. It's almost over.

"Okay, and you're all set. How's it look?"

Little Cato finally looks up and the breath leaves him in a flash. "Good. It's good," he says in mild shock.

She lets him stand, and he shuffles over to collect Gary. The man doesn't look up from his phone for a few seconds as Little Cato stands there quietly, so he quickly clears his throat. 

"Oh, hey, let's see—," Gary starts, only to freeze when he lifts his head. 

"What? Does it look bad?" Little Cato asks nervously because of Gary's unusual silence.

Gary shakes himself out of his moment, standing and smiling tightly, a strange emotion shining in his eyes. "It looks great, bud. You just...," he trails off. Little Cato urges him to continue with a raised eyebrow. "You really look like a kid."

Little Cato runs a hand through his shorter fur and catches a glimpse of his reflection again. He looks...innocent, almost. The matted down and tangled fur is clean and soft, the orange finally bright again. It painfully reminds him of what he was before the past three years happened. It's...not _him_.

Gary pays, ruffling Little Cato's hair as they wait at the counter. The touch is drastically different and more welcome than the hairdresser, and it's confusing to think about. He decides to just let the touch happen and figure out his feelings when everything is less hectic...if that ever happens. 

"Okay, where're we going, Spidercat?" Gary asks as they start walking down the sidewalk.

Little Cato shrugs. "Wherever is good," he mumbles. 

The kid can feel Gary's disappointed stare, so he doesn't even dare glance at the man's face. 

"We can, uh, go to a few different places to look. How's that sound?" Gary says awkwardly.

He simply shrugs in response, and Gary sighs. Little Cato frowns, forcing himself not to feel guilty that the man is upset over his indifference. Gary is just a guy, and it doesn't matter what he thinks about Little Cato as long as it's not kick him out levels.

Well, it _shouldn't_ matter....

They walk into a commercial store, people bustling all over. The vast amount of people and clothes is slightly overwhelming, but Gary just puts a hand on his shoulder and guides him forwards. 

Little Cato glances at the price tags as they walk through, and he audibly gasps. "Why does everything cost so much?"

Gary waves him off. "Don't worry about the price, get what you like."

Little Cato stares at Gary in mild horror. "But it's so much!"

"Gary is gonna get you what you want, doesn't matter the price," he says firmly. "I swear on Mooncake that I won't tell you to put stuff back."

The kid bounces his head around as he looks at everything around him. "I don't want you to waste your money on me...," he mumbles.

"Hey, none of that, alright?" Gary kneels down in front of him and grabs his shoulders. "It's not wasting anything, Spidercat. You're gonna freeze your tail off without this stuff, and more importantly, I _want_ to do this, okay? So, when I say get anything, I really mean freaking anything."

Gary smiles encouragingly, and the sudden urge to hug the man creeps up on him. Little Cato ignores it and nods instead.

"Will you be okay if I go run and grab that part I need real quick? It'll be five seconds tops, and it's right across the street."

He nods again, so Gary walks away with a quick nod and a smile at this point. Contact with another person is a definite thing he's been lacking in his life.

The boy wanders through the racks, snatching the few things he likes that coincidentally are on the cheaper side. Just because Gary says it's fine, Little Cato's internal guilt over sucking up all of the man's money does not agree with that at all.

"Nice choice in jacket," Gary says, startling Little Cato. 

"Did you get the part?" Little Cato hands a few things to Gary to hold, mostly because the blond has bigger arms than him.

Gary shakes his head as he drops the items onto the counter to be rung up, saying a quick greeting to the cashier. "Had to order it. I'm gonna beat KVN up so badly when we get home."

Little Cato grabs the bags and rips the hoodie off, putting his new red leather jacket on. It fits nicely, and it doesn't make him look as scrawny as he usually is because of the not eating right thing.

"Hey, we kinda match now!" Gary notices excitedly. "It looks good, Spidercat."

Little Cato smiles timidly, not knowing what to do with all of the attention. Plus, he's not going to admit that he saw the jacket and thought of Gary. Definitely not, nor ever, will that little tidbit get out.

They walk back to Gary's apartment in almost content silence, and they're greeted happily by Mooncake and HUE. Gary makes a quick dinner while Little Cato questions and wonders how he's able to be doing any of this, wanting it to last forever—this strange stability.

Little Cato and Gary settle into the couch, a bowl of popcorn and chocolate at the ready. HUE picks the movie—something about an apocalypse—as Little Cato tries to not get distracted by how soft his new pajama pants are. 

"Hey, Gary?" Little Cato pipes up.

Gary turns towards him with a smile. "Yeah?"

"I wanted to, uh—well, um, thanks," he says nervously.

The blond's smile melts into something that Little Cato thinks might be fondness as he ruffles the kid's newly cut hair. Gary wraps an arm around his shoulders, bringing him a little closer to his side. Little Cato stiffens at the new form of contact, but after a few moments, he gives in to his urges and rests his head carefully on Gary's shoulder.

It's not as terrifying to allow himself to do this. Now that it's happening, it feels...really nice. Still weird and awkward right now, but he could get used to it. More importantly, he thinks he might _want_ to.

Little Cato falls asleep within the first twenty minutes of the movie, Mooncake in his arms, curled up against Gary's side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter was short, next one will definitely be longer. also all of your love for this fic is great and I love you all. prepare for more fluff


	7. Winter Warmth

Little Cato wakes up to a cold hand on his shoulder gently shaking him. He groans in response, forcing his eyes open to see Gary crouching down in front of him. He blinks and stares at Gary's smile, then breathes in deeply and stretches with a yawn. He isn't tired, but waking up rested sure is something that he will never get tired of feeling. Gary ruffles his hair quickly and walks over to the kitchen.

"Breakfast time, little buddy!" Gary cheers, somehow managing to be excited even though it's probably early in the morning.

"How are you awake right now?" Little Cato mumbles, burying his face into the pillow.

The man laughs, and Little Cato feels a dip in the bed next to him. Fingers card through his hair idly, almost lulling him back to sleep. He can't initiate contact with Gary for fear of stepping over a boundary and ruining the only thing that has ever gone right in his life, so he absorbs every hair ruffle, every shoulder pat, and every fist bump. Interacting with people is good, and Little Cato doesn't know what he would do if this stops.

If he just hides every single terrible aspect of himself, which is most of his personality and behaviors, then he'll be totally safe. He can stay with Gary without any problems. 

Unless he messes everything up and makes the man hate him. 

The touch burns now from his bubbling anxieties, so Little Cato hides a breaking expression in his protective pillow. 

"I know I didn't make your favorite, but I swear you'll love French toast! And if you don't, pancakes don't take long to make," Gary promises. 

Gary's too nice. Little Cato will never deserve this. 

The Ventrexian pushes himself up and hopes that his facial expression doesn't give away his inner turmoil. Gary's smile brightens as Little Cato finally gets out of bed, earning him another hair ruffle. Honestly, that's the only reason the kid has wanted to wake up lately, just to feel like maybe _someone_ even sort of cares about him. Affection on this level is extremely new, but it's so warm, like the blankets and hot chocolate he's allowed to have now that his life is maybe stable.

Mooncake greets him with a hug, and Little  
Cato's lips upturn. He shuffles over to the counter, hopping into the barstool with ease as he digs into his French toast.

"Oh my god, this is good!" he exclaims, shoveling more in his mouth as he drenches it in syrup.

Gary laughs and says with a smirk, "I'm glad you like it, but geez, you don't have to drown it."

"Drowning it is the best part, duh."

The blond lets out a deep laugh, shaking his head in amusement while eating some scrambled eggs.

"Gary. Have you forgotten something?" HUE asks.

"Mm, nope. It's my day off, what could I be missing?"

HUE's arm stretches out to shove a rattling bottle in Gary's face, making the man scrunch his face up in annoyance and lean back to avoid getting punched. When Gary's eyes narrow in on the label, he sighs and takes it from HUE.

"What are those?" Little Cato asks, tilting his head in curiosity. 

Gary waves him off as he opens the bottle. "Just some pills—"

"Anti-depressants."

"HUE!" Gary shouts, glaring at the bot. "Seriously?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Gary," HUE says calmly. "Many people take medications to deal with their mental illnesses."

"HUE, that's not the point—never mind," he sighs, downing the pills with a sip of water.

Little Cato stares at Gary in mild shock. Not because it's anything bad, but because he had no idea. Gary seems so...upbeat and excited all the time. He never would've even guessed from how often the blond is smiling alone. 

"Sorry about that, Spidercat. You didn't need to—"

"No, no," Little Cato interrupts. "It's...good. I mean like, I don't mind or anything...if that's what you were gonna say. Um...."

Gary smiles again. How can he do that all the time? "I appreciate it, kid. To be honest, having someone else around is making it a bit easier." The man ruffles his hair again, but his expression turns serious yet open. "If you ever want to talk about anything, I probably will be able to understand how you're feeling just a bit. Part of the reason I'm taking these is because I know what it feels like to be in your shoes."

The boy nods, shoving a forkful of French toast into his mouth. Syrup dribbles down his chin, and he tries to lick it up as quick as possible. 

Gary snorts. "I think I'm gonna have to limit your syrup intake from now on. You're addicted."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the kid says as he pours more syrup onto his plate.

Gary snatches the syrup bottle out of his hands, his lips pressed together trying to hold back a laugh. Little Cato gasps in betrayal and is about to protest when his eyes catch on something outside. 

"Is that snow?" Little Cato asks, staring in awe at the white flakes falling from the sky.

"Hm?" Gary turns to the window and nods. "Yeah, have you not seen it before?"

His mouth is wide open as he shakes his head, jumping down and shuffling to the window. He presses a hand against the frigid glass, glancing out to see pure white coating the ground. It looks so soft and fluffy, just like he's heard of it being. He needs to get in it. Little Cato turns his head towards Gary, his tail swishing as excitement courses through his veins, the feeling almost forgotten after so long without anything fun happening. 

"Can I—can I go see it?" the Ventrexian begs.

The anticipation is killing him so much that he's bouncing on his heels, whipping back and forth between the foreign sight of snow and Gary's face. The blond has an odd look in his eyes, undecipherable to Little Cato, that he's only seeing more and more frequently the longer they spend time around each other. If he has to guess, he wants to say that it's a mix of fond and melancholy, his smile genuine but not reaching his eyes. 

"Hell yeah we can, Spidercat!" Gary yells excitedly, the previous emotions gone from his face. "Put on warm clothes and then I am gonna show you how to have the time of your _life_!"

Little Cato can feel his cheeks stretch from how hard he's smiling as he sprints to the dresser and grabs his clothes, rushing to the bathroom to get changed. He bursts out and rushes to the closet, ripping his winter jacket off of the hook and scrambling to put it on with his boots and mittens. Gary is watching from near the door, already prepared to go out into the cold, an entertained smile on his face.

The Ventrexian hops around to get his last boot on, and he stops in front of Gary at attention, panting from how ecstatic he is to see _actual snow_. 

"Ready!"

Gary pulls Little Cato's hood up to cover his ears and nods. "Now you're ready. Keep it up or else I might have to reattach your ears later," the man jokes.

Little Cato rolls his eyes and slams the door open, sprinting down the stairs and flinging himself right into the cold wind. He freezes as the snow falls around him, gentle snowflakes landing on his face and melting right away. The kid walks out further into the winter weather, absolutely stunned by how different it is from anything he's ever seen.

"It's pretty," he whispers.

He sticks out his tongue and laughs as some snow falls onto it, the chill both invigorating him and making him shiver. 

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Gary says, finally joining him outside. "You can get in it, you know."

"I can what now?" Little Cato gasps eagerly. 

Gary nods with a smile. "See that snow bank over there? You can get on top of it or try to climb in."

The boy doesn't waste any time in running over to it, and he leaps at the pile with a shout, laughing as his body sinks right down into it. The thrill of it is so fun that he jumps up and face plants into it again.

He barely registers the cold, for once not being bothered by it. Little Cato almost expected to hate the cold for being a reminder of when he was alone, but it's amazing to be cold right now. If he thinks about how Gary will make hot chocolate when they go back inside to the heat and blankets, the low temperature is nothing but a minor inconvenience. 

"Coming in hot, Spidercat!"

Little Cato only has seconds to roll to the side to avoid getting crushed by Gary bodily throwing himself into the pile. They both laugh, Gary's face red and flushed from the contact with snow, snowflakes clinging to his beanie and Little Cato's fur. 

"Told you it was possible," Gary says proudly, shoving some snow from its spot to fall onto his face. 

The Ventrexian laughs again and tentatively takes off a mitten, dipping his fingers to feel the crunchy snow. "It's so weird," he whispers in fascination.

"Never heard someone call snow weird before, but I get what you mean, buddy." Gary lets out a deep breath, and Little Cato watches it dissipate into the air. "Wanna have a snowball fight?"

The kid shoots up and grins from ear to ear. "Teach me how to make a killer snowball first though."

Gary grabs a handful of snow and starts packing it down, forming it into a misshaped ball. Little Cato copies his movements and holds it out to the blond for inspection. 

"Looks good, now just throw it."

Little Cato's brain must shut off in the moment because the next thing he knows, he launches a tight snowball directly into Gary's face. It explodes upon impact, and Little Cato can't help but be mortified and impressed at the same time.

"Holy shit," he whispers, growing concerned as Gary stays still. "Are you okay?"

The silence is heavy for a few beats before an evil grin stretches across Gary's face. "Oh, it is _on_ now, Spidercat!" Gary shouts as he launches a snowball at Little Cato.

He gets hit in the chest, then all hell breaks loose. They both scramble to make snowballs, tossing them frantically and dodging like their lives depend on it. Little Cato lands one on Gary's back, then Gary nails him in the side of the head, but it gives him a rush that Little Cato can't remember ever feeling. Him and Gary are laughing, Mooncake buzzing around excitedly as they all dodge snowballs on the sidewalk and empty street.

Little Cato's wrapped up tail is wiggling in anticipation for throwing another snowball at Gary when the man turns around to throw one at him. Gary's about to come up from his kneeling position, so Little Cato launches it. Gary stays down though, and the projectile of snow lands on a woman walking by. 

The two guys wince, and Gary drops his snowballs to walk up to the woman and apologize. 

"I am so sorry about that," Gary says, trying to fix his appearance to make it not look like he was just in an intense battle seconds before. 

"Keep your damn son in check," she grumbles, wiping off the snow from her coat and continuing on her path, tossing a glare at Little Cato when she walks past him.

Little Cato frowns, so Gary walks up to the kid and ruffles his hood. "Hey, don't worry about it. Mistakes happen." Little Cato nods. "But maybe we should stop the war for now, call it a tie?"

"I'm pretty sure I was winning," Little Cato says, grinning devilishly at the blond. 

Gary scoffs, "Oh, as if, Spidercat."

The Ventrexian cross his arms. "Guess we'll have to agree to disagree—oh, snowmen!"

Little Cato turns excitedly to the man at his sudden realization, his eyes pleading as he practically vibrates where he's standing. He wants to build a snowman _so badly_.

"Oh my crap, how could I have forgotten?! Let's do this thing!" Gary shouts, starting the work immediately.

They spend this time in silence, rolling the snow into balls together and trying to make the biggest snowman possible. Mooncake helps provide support as they roll and roll, making each individual ball before they put it together. This thing will be massive, and Little Cato has never been so excited before. They stack the middle part on, exerting a lot of effort into getting the massive snowball up there.

"Alright, head time...," Gary trails off, staring in mild horror at the fact that the snowman is already taller than him. "We didn't really think this through."

"Whoops," Little Cato says.

"Okay, plan: get on my shoulders and maybe we can lift it up there."

Little Cato stares at Gary with a raised eyebrow, but he just crouches down and gestures for the kid to hop on up. He climbs onto Gary's shoulders hesitantly as Gary grabs a hold of the massive snowman head, and then the blond stands up with the help of Mooncake pushing the ball.

"Okay, okay, grab it, Spidercat."

"Oh my god, why is it so heavy?"

"Mooncake, help him."

"Chookity!"

"Gary, it's gonna fall!"

"You got this!"

"No I—"

"Almost there—"

"Gary!"

"Come on, Spidercat!"

With one last heave, the head is dropped onto the body. Little Cato and Gary pump their fists in the air with excited cheers, their masterpiece finally complete.

"Nice job, kid," Gary compliments.

He holds his hand out for a fist bump, and Little Cato returns it, still sitting on Gary's shoulders.

"Hey, Gary!" KVN says as he flies right through the snowman, the whole thing toppling over into ruins. 

Gary and Little Cato both scream at the top of their lungs.

"KVN, _what the fuck_?!"

* * *

"Got any fours?" Little Cato asks while he eats some more French toast.

"Are you sure you know how this game works? Because you've asked me that for the past three turns, and the answer is still no," Gary laughs.

Little Cato draws another card from the deck, finally picking up a four and tossing his four cards of four onto the table. "Yes!"

"Got any kings?"

Little Cato deflates as he tosses his three kings at Gary, groaning when the man just smiles innocently and places them in his winning pile.

"I demand a rematch!" Little Cato orders, shoving all of his cards to Gary for shuffling.

The man starts pulling them all together into a pile and suddenly mentions calmly, "You know, you still haven't told me your name."

The Ventrexian's euphoria from the day vanishes in seconds, his ears turning down. He had almost forgotten about it, Gary's nickname for him just becoming something familiar really quickly. It distracts him from everything before almost, Little Cato being a lonely kid who hasn't done anything good in his life. Spidercat is just...the best way for Gary not to know who he really is.

"Hey, I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to upset you," Gary apologizes, rushing to stand next to him and place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me when you're ready, okay?"

Little Cato nods, sighing when Gary cards a gentle hand through his hair.

"I'll...get you some more hot chocolate, extra sprinkles this time." Gary grabs the boy's mug and starts making another batch. "HUE, play the good stuff?"

"On it, Gary."

Music starts playing from the speakers, and Little Cato's ears perk up as he recognizes the song.

"You listen to ACDC?" Little Cato asks in confusion. 

Gary shrugs. "I never did before a friend of mine started playing it all the time. It's not my type of music, but I put it in the playlist for him. And I didn't think a kid your age would ever listen to music this old."

"Someone I knew used to play it," he admits quietly, trying to shove down the memories of his dad from making him even more upset.

Gary has a sad look in his eyes that Little Cato can recognize as loss, only because he's felt it, too. "HUE, skip this one."

The music becomes more upbeat, the tension draining from the room as Gary smiles and starts dancing while waiting for the water to boil. Little Cato allows himself to smile as he tries to shuffle the cards like how Gary does it, pushing the sadness to the back of his mind.

* * *

"Why are you awake?" HUE asks as he notices Little Cato sitting up in bed. 

He wraps the blanket tighter around himself. "Can't sleep, I guess."

HUE stares at him, unmoving in the dark of the apartment. It's slightly unnerving.

"Gary ended up on the streets because his father died. I do not know your story, but I thought it might help to know Gary's," the robot says out of the blue. 

Little Cato's eyes widen.

"If you ever wish to talk to someone, you can trust Gary. He is downstairs if that time happens to be now."

"What if I annoy him?" Little Cato really doesn't know why he asked that, but his mouth must be running faster than his rational thoughts.

HUE shakes his head. "Gary enjoys having you around, you will not be a bother."

And then the robot walks away to continue watching his show. Little Cato thinks on the conversation for a moment, then decides to go downstairs. He opens the door quietly and peeks into the garage, noticing Gary at a laptop looking serious, Mooncake nuzzling into Gary's face.

He shouldn't....

He blinks, and now he's standing next to Gary, ringing his hands together. 

"Didn't know we were members of the same club," Little Cato mumbles, slightly startling Gary out of his deep focus.

"What do you mean?" Gary asks curiously, closing his laptop and turning his chair towards the boy.

He hesitates for a moment as he forms his thoughts. "My dad died...a few months ago."

Gary's face falls at the same time Little Cato can feel tears forming in his eyes. "Oh, buddy...," Gary whispers. 

The blond has his arms open wide in a flash, and Little Cato only pauses for a short moment before he walks into the embrace, his head resting against Gary's chest. He doesn't hug back, simply allowing Gary to rub his back gently as Mooncake coos sadly and cuddles against Little Cato's face. 

"Does it get easier?" he asks miserably, his voice shaking. 

Gary sighs. "No, you just...deal with it. I know how hard it is, to miss him and not have anyone around. I'm here though, so that you don't have to miss him alone."

Little Cato glances up at Gary, taking in the warm hug and his understanding expression. His small arms wrap around Gary finally for his first hug in years. The blond stiffens for a moment, then Gary holds him tighter. 

The cold isn't as daunting anymore, not when he knows that he has warmth here, with Gary, if he needs it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one may have gotten a little sad, but it just means that Little Cato is finally warming up to Gary and starting to trust him more!! the fluff will continue though, don't worry. can't wait to get to what I've got planned
> 
> and thanks again for all the love for this!!! y'all are still the best


	8. A Cookie for Your Thoughts

Life is...normal. Well, as normal as living with a stranger, his weird pet, and two robots can get. Which is a surprising amount, seeing as how everything so far has felt like something almost out of one of those shows HUE tends to watch. HUE needs better hobbies.

"What do you want for dinner tonight, little buddy?" Gary asks, leaning against the counter as Little Cato finishes his breakfast. 

He shrugs. "I'm good with whatever."

"Come on, kiddo. I pick every night. You choose today."

"Chookity!"

Gary's face scrunches in disgust. "Mooncake, that's gross."

"Gary, I don't—I'm not used to...options," Little Cato admits quietly, folding into this hot chocolate shamefully. 

Gary places a hand on his head, and Little Cato looks up guiltily. "Hey, don't feel bad. It's a lot all at once. How about you come to the store with me and pick there?"

"Okay."

"I can take your plate," Gary says. 

He reaches out for it, but Little Cato keeps it to himself and stands up. Gary raises an eyebrow, but Little Cato just continues his path around the counter to the sink. 

"I can wash it," Little Cato says.

"I don't mind, bud," the blond says, trying to take the plate again. "Where'd this come from anyways?"

Little Cato shrugs, his face heating up. "I wanna help?"

Gary puts his hands on his hips. "Come on, you can tell me. Look right into Gary's gelatinous marbles, trust me."

The kid sighs through his nose. "I don't wanna be a burden...."

Gary's facial expression melts from its previous unimpressed look as he kneels down in front of the kid. Little Cato just knows that this is the universal sign for a lecture, and he is not prepared for it. 

"You will never ever be a burden, okay? And that's coming right from my mouth, can't say I didn't say it now. Don't worry about chores, just have some fun. Be a kid and all that jazz, alrighty?" The man ruffles his hair and stands up, snatching the plate out of Little Cato's hands. "You don't have to do dishes as like a rent payment or something, Spidercat."

"But I—"

"Ah ah ah, nope. Zip your mouth right now. I will not disgrace my honor by making you do dishes," Gary cuts off. The Ventrexian tries to open his mouth again, but Gary just zips his lips shut and tosses the zipper away. 

The blond starts washing the dishes immediately, making Little Cato pout. Of course Gary has to be a good person and do the one thing he feels could make him feel less guilty for imposing on his life like this. It's been about a month, so it's much more than a quick stay.

It might be too quick to decide, but Little Cato likes this all?

Gary notices him staring at him and gives him a lopsided and goofy grin. He ruffles his hair again, but Little Cato shrieks.

"Gary! Your hand's all wet and bubbly!" Little Cato complains, playing with his soaked mohawk.

The blond snorts while attempting to be sorry, but Gary can't do it and ends up laughing quietly. "Sorry, bud."

In retaliation, Little Cato dips his hand in the soapy water and jumps to reach Gary's hair and soak it. Gary gasps in fake horror, then a war breaks out in the kitchen while they wrestle each other with bubbles. The both of them and the kitchen floor are soaked when they finish, but Little Cato totally won. 

And not because Gary's metal hand slipped and accidentally broke the sink. Definitely not that.

* * *

Gary fixes the sink the next day during lunch, and Little Cato watches him and HUE work as he munches on some leftover mac and cheese. Did he pick this? Of course not, but it was a good decision on Gary's part. 

"Sorry that I broke the sink," Little Cato mentions.

Gary waves him off as he bolts in a screw. "Not your fault. It's this stupid arm of mine. It's great one moment, then the next it steals your clothes."

The kid opens his mouth wanting to ask for elaboration on that, but he shuts that thought process down. It is a cool arm though, the metal shinily new in appearance.

"How'd you get your arm in the first place?" Little Cato asks innocently.

Gary stiffens, stopping his repairing and touching the robotic arm with his flesh hand. "Long story, Spidercat," Gary mumbles. "I'll tell you another time."

Oh, he regrets asking this. 

"Don't feel bad for asking, it's a cool as hell arm!" Gary smiles, finishing the last touches to the new sink faucet. "Good as new! I'm gonna go back to work now, and you know what to do if you need me."

Despite the obviously upsetting question, Gary ruffles his hair anyways. It feels empty though, the man's eyes not having their signature spark that Little Cato is used to seeing. It looks like loss again.

"HUE, what does Gary like?" Little Cato asks while spooning more mac and cheese into his mouth.

"Gary? Well, he enjoys being around you and Mooncake, as well as listening to Loggins. Why would you like to know?" HUE inquires.

Little Cato shrugs. "It's stupid but I just...I don't know, wanna get him something? For everything and stuff because he's cool and...yeah," he finishes lamely, ringing his tail between his hands. 

HUE hums and waddles over to Little Cato, placing a gentle and cold hand on his knee. "Gary does not want any reward for this, but it is a nice gesture that will be greatly appreciated. He could never say no to cookies."

The Ventrexian nods and shovels the rest of his mac and cheese into his mouth. If he's going to do anything to thank Gary, he probably needs to change into normal daytime clothes and not just stay in one of Gary's shirts because they somehow managed to lose his pajama shirts. Okay, losing them is a bit of a stretch because they're all certain it was KVN.

Wait, if he's going to make cookies, he needs ingredients...and money. His shoulders slump as he realizes that he has to ask Gary for money. Dang it.

With a heavy sigh, Little Cato sprints downstairs and stops in the entrance to the garage. "Gary, can I get something at the store?"

Gary turns around so quickly that he accidentally slams his head against the car he's working on. Little Cato winces for him as the man nurses his head with a shocked expression.

"You wanna spend money? Yesterday you didn't even ask for hot chocolate when you saw the price of it," Gary says in confusion. "But hell yeah you can go to the store! Grab my wallet from upstairs."

"Thanks!" Little Cato shouts, sprinting back upstairs.

He changes quickly, trying to contain his excitement and nervousness as the plan unfolds. Bake cookies, Gary gets a thank you, and Little Cato will hopefully no longer feel like he's annoying Gary and ruining his life with his presence. The key word is _hopefully_. 

Little Cato puts on his coat and boots, then snatches Gary's wallet from the counter. He hops down the stairs to go back in the garage, and Gary waves him over. Mooncake gives him a quick face hug when Little Cato approaches, and the kid hugs back happily.

"Take my phone in case anything happens, okay? And have fun, Spidercat," Gary says with a grin.

Little Cato nods and starts walking out, but Gary suddenly shouts, "Don't forget your gloves!"

"Yeah, yeah. I got 'em, Dad," Little Cato says, snatching his gloves off of the counter and walking out into the cold.

The moment Little Cato steps outside, the cold slaps him in the face at the same time the realization of what he just said hits him. He...called Gary..._Dad_. "Oh noooo," he moans into his hands. 

He can't hide himself from the shame, and it's eating him up inside. Gary hates him now, probably. Not probably, definitely. He was nice enough to take in a kid who tried to rob him once and buy him food and clothes and let him not freeze out on the streets, so Little Cato repays him by calling him Dad and being no help at all. Oh, the dad thing is definitely going to weird him out. 

Maybe cookies are a bad idea now. Okay, it was a bad idea to begin with. Should he abort the mission? If he comes back in now, it'll be awkward. But if he comes back later empty-handed, then that also is not good.

Little Cato groans and smushes some snow onto his burning face. Intense panic is slowly creeping up on him, so he walks away from the wall and heads to the store. He can...contemplate his decisions on the way. Yeah, good idea.

Everything is a disaster.

* * *

The Ventrexian bought cookie dough and a bag of chocolate chips because that dough doesn't have nearly enough of them in it; it has to be a crime. Gary will probably hate it, but it's too late. His mind is made up. 

Little Cato has been standing outside the door to the shop for a few minutes now, and he hasn't gone in yet even though the wind is really cold right now. He doesn't think he can face Gary with the embarrassment still running through his body relentlessly. 

If he runs in really fast and doesn't let Gary stop him to talk, Little Cato thinks he can make it without collapsing from feeling like an idiot.

Little Cato breathes in deeply, opens the door, and sprints through the garage while shouting, "Don't come upstairs until I say you can," at Gary without even looking at the man. He shuts the apartment door behind him and leans against it, sighing in relief. Disaster averted for now, so it's time to figure out how ovens work.

...He probably should've thought about that little detail earlier. 

The kid sheds his winter layer and hangs up his coat. The snow is definitely fun, but the cold is not. He's tempted to wrap himself up in his favorite blanket, but he has a very important goal to accomplish. 

Maybe if he hypes himself up, he'll feel less clueless. "I'm gonna bake these cookies so good!" Little Cato yells enthusiastically.

Little Cato reads the instructions three times over, making sure that all he has to do is just put it on a pan and bake it. Is preheating just turning it on? Probably, that sounds vaguely correct. He does that quickly and then readies a baking pan that he absolutely does not have to get a stool just to reach. No one saw it, so it never happened in Little Cato's mind. 

With a shrug, Little Cato spoons out the dough onto the sprayed pan and shoves a generous amount of extra chocolate chips into each cookie. The more chocolate the better, in his expert opinion. He shoves the pans in the oven carefully and turns it on, sighing in relief over everything not falling apart.

Now he just needs to make sure the apartment doesn't burn down...and try some cookie dough. People do it all the time, so he's been waiting for an opportunity to see what all the hype is about. Little Cato scrapes the bottom of the container to get what's left of it and shoves the spoon in his mouth, and he melts over the taste.

If the cookies taste half as good as this, it'll be a success. Even if all Little Cato did was just throw pre-made stuff onto a pan, it's still something. Not nearly enough, but...something.

Little Cato sits upside down on the couch, his legs over the back of it and his head nearing the ground. He's still too worried about how Gary will react to everything to enjoy anything other than sitting in his misery. 

What will he do if Gary brings up the dad thing? Will he want him out? Will he think it's super weird and _not want to be around him as much and just end up keeping him there out of guilt and not because he likes Little Cato even though Little Cato really really really likes Gary and_—

Woah, he's kinda lightheaded from all of that...and probably the blood rushing to his head, too. He swings himself up with a sigh and lands facedown into the couch, letting out a long groan into the cushions. Little Cato was enjoying all of this normalness, but of course, he had to go and ruin it. 

His shoulder is poked, so Little Cato lifts his head up and panics when he sees Gary standing there with a frown. 

"I told you not to come upstairs!" Little Cato says, his voice betraying his inner panic from how loud it is.

Gary nods with a frown. "Yeah, but my curiosity got the best of me. You okay, kiddo? Face-planting into the couch is usually a sign for wanting to be absorbed by it."

Little Cato shrugs. "Yeah, just a little, uh, tired. Also you should go back to work and not go in the kitchen," he suggests quickly and nervously.

Why did he mention the kitchen? God, today is not his day. Gary's eyes spark, and Little Cato scrambles off of the couch as Gary runs into the kitchen and freezes in front of the oven.

"Gary, you ruined the surprise," Little Cato complains, crossing his arms in mild annoyance.

"Are those...cookies?"

"Yeah, they're for you...as like, uh, a thank you? I guess?" Little Cato rubs the back of his neck, his nerves threatening to crush him. "HUE said you liked cookies, so...."

"Cookies? For me?" Gary is floored, and Little Cato only knows that because Gary actually falls to his knees and pulls him into a bone crushing hug. "That is the nicest thing you ever could've done, little buddy."

Little Cato is tense in the impromptu hug at first, but he melts into it pretty fast. The warmth of the oven and the warmth of the hug calm down all of the Ventrexian's anxieties over everything, so he allows himself a little indulgence by burying his head into Gary's shoulder. 

"When I'm done with work: you, me, these cookies, and the worst movie we can find so we can ridicule it endlessly," Gary says excitedly.

Little Cato laughs quietly. "Sounds like a plan, Thunder Bandit."

Gary laughs loudly over the nickname and ruffles his hair before he walks towards the door. "Thunder Bandit...I love it! You da best, SC! You da best!"

"I got that _so good_!" Little Cato shouts, pumping a fist in the air.

Everything is back to normal, with movie nights and cookies. This is...kinda perfect.

* * *

"Okay, you said that this was a dumb movie, but what is this?! Did you see how fake that explosion looked?" Little Cato shouts, gesturing to the screen with a cookie. 

They both laugh as the main character says some ridiculous catchphrase again and gets hit with the fakest punch Little Cato has ever seen.

Gary wipes a tear from his eye. "Oh god, I forgot how funny this crap is. Low budget movies are honestly better than most expensive comedy movies."

Little Cato dips his cookie in his hot chocolate and takes a bite. "True that."

The blond ruffles Little Cato's hair, and he smiles at the touch. He got used to these pretty quick. He curls up more underneath his blanket and continues to sip at his hot chocolate even though he knows there's a risk of him choking when the movie makes him laugh again.

"Hey, we should bake some holiday cookies soon. We can even do it from scratch," Gary suggests.

"You know how to make cookies from scratch?"

Gary nods. "My dad and I used to do it when I was a kid. Best part is licking the spoons clean, so you get to do that now while I have to be the boring adult."

"I'll let you lick a spoon...maybe," Little Cato teases, smirking at Gary. The man laughs and shoves the kid's head lightly. 

Little Cato wants to say...something meaningful, but he's a little nervous. "Gary, I, uh—I like it here...," he whispers, slightly ashamed for being so nervous just to say something so simple.

Gary's smile softens. "I'm glad, Spidercat."

Gary then notices something that's just out of Little Cato's view, and the man launches himself off of the couch towards the kitchen with an angry groan.

"KVN, will you _stop_ shoving cookies into your processor slot?!"

* * *

They're washing the dishes together, Little Cato washing and Gary drying. Little Cato wouldn't take no for an answer, so Gary gave in to his pleas with a muttered complaint about how a cat shouldn't be able to have such good puppy dog eyes. 

Normal. Normal. Life is normal.

Washing dishes with the ridiculously long credits of the movie playing in the background is normal.

Eating dinner together is normal.

Hair ruffles and hugs are normal, but now they're normal to Little Cato, too.

Normal is also having Gary know the name of the kid that's living with him. Which hasn't happened yet even though Little Cato has lived here for a month now. Adjusting has been...hard, but Gary deserves to know. He's less scared of losing everything again now that he knows Gary.

"Gary?" Little Cato asks, looking up from his washing to stare at the man. Gary has a calm and open smile on his face, and it washes away the rest of his worries. "Can I tell you my name?"

Gary's grin brightens. "Yeah! Of course, buddy. Don't force yourself if you're not ready though."

Little Cato nods. "It's, uh...it's Little Cato."

The plate Gary's drying falls to the floor and shatters, ceramic pieces littering the kitchen floor. Gary's eyes are blown wide, and his face is as white as the snow outside. The man is just staring at Little Cato in so much shock. The kid is so confused right now.

"Little Cato?" Gary manges to say, his voice shaking.

"Uh, yeah? Gary, are you okay?" he asks, growing concerned the longer Gary stays in this odd state.

Gary doesn't say a word. Tears begin to pool in his eyes, and his face completely crumples. "Little Cato," Gary whispers, his voice all choked up, as he suddenly picks Little Cato up into an even stronger hug than earlier. 

"Gary?! Seriously, are you okay?!" the Ventrexian shouts, panicking over the man's reaction to _his name_ of all things.

The blond sets Little Cato down and kneels in front of him, holding his shoulders with shaking hands. "I've been—oh my god, I can't believe this—you're _Avocato's son_."

All of the breath exits Little Cato's body in a flash. "You—you knew my dad?"

Little Cato begins to shake when Gary nods with a wet smile. The man tries to wipe away some of his tears as he runs a hand through the fur on Little Cato's head. 

"He was my best friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter. be ready for a long one :)


	9. The Clasp

Gary hated work sometimes. Between the drunk assholes and the low pay, he was about ready to shoot himself. He was drying out another beer cup because the bar was ridiculously busy tonight, even for game night standards, when a handsome Ventrexian sat down on the barstool in front of him. Well, work wasn't boring now.

He quickly tapped off a lady's beer before focusing on the Ventrexian, the man's sleek, fitted casual attire and good looks attracting his attention immediately. Man, was this guy ever hot.

"What can I get for ya?" Gary asked, trying to keep his cool. 

The Ventrexian smiled flirtily, and it made Gary melt. "Whiskey, but I have a question, too. Know anyone who works here by the name of Gary Goodspeed?"

Gary didn't falter. "Gary Goodspeed...? Nope, not ringing any bells."

The Ventrexian hummed. "Really? I was told that he works here. You've gotta know him."

There was a glint in his eyes that betrayed the smooth smile he sported, especially the way his chin rested on his clasped hands too calmly. Gary wasn't a complete idiot, so he could see the slight bulge of the gun against his jacket. Crap, who did he piss off now?

"I'm, uh—I'm kinda new around here? First day actually," Gary said nervously. "Probably just haven't met that cool sounding guy before."

The Ventrexian tilted his head, placing a palm on the table as he stood up, leaning in close to Gary's face. His eyes were as dark as night, cold blackened pits that stared deep into Gary's eyes. It would be a lot more attractive if he didn't think that he was about to be killed. 

"Gary Goodspeed, currently on parole for good behavior in prison. Height is 6'2", blond hair, green eyes, absolutely despised by the Benson Brothers." The Ventrexian's smirk fell as he cocked an eyebrow. "I do my research, baby. You and I need to have a little chat outside."

"But I already took my break," Gary said lamely.

The Ventrexian glared at him so intensely that Gary just put his hands up in surrender and walked around the bar. He noticed his boss staring at him in disgust as he walked out of the bar with the Ventrexian's hand squeezing his arm. The man shook his head at Gary and dragged his finger across his throat, a move he had known to mean that Gary was fired.

Well, that was just perfect. First he had lost his job, and now a man was about to kill him. 

The Ventrexian grabbed the collar of his jacket and slammed him against the wall in the alley behind the bar, and a gun was forcefully shoved up against his cheek. 

"Where is E-351?"

Gary froze. "What's an E-35-59? Never heard of it."

The Ventrexian growled. "Oh, you know exactly what it is."

"No, dude, like—for serious, I have not a single idea what that is," Gary stated, shrugging his shoulders. 

The gun was pressed more painfully into Gary's cheek. "Don't try to play dumb!"

"I'm not playing dumb, so that one kinda stung a bit, not gonna lie."

"Tell me where it is, Goodspeed!" he shouted as he moved his forearm to press against Gary's neck. 

"Gary, your heart rate increased significantly, and you are not getting enough oxygen. Are you in a confrontation?"

Oh crap, Gary had forgotten about HUE on his wrist. The Ventrexian snapped his head towards the wristwatch, snatching it off of him quickly. Before his attacker could say a word about the AI, the watch electrocuted the Ventrexian, causing him to pass out cold on the ground. 

Gary grunted as some of the shock hit him where he was being touched, but he was fine other than that.

"HUE? Is he dead?" Gary voiced nervously.

"No, but he will be out for a while. He was an unauthorized user, so protective measures were taken."

Gary picked his watch up and placed it back on his wrist. He sighed as he glanced at the knocked out figure beneath him, so he crouched down and poked the Ventrexian with a tentative finger. Nothing. 

"Should I...bring him back? I've never had to worry about this before," Gary asked.

"I would suggest yes in case of him coming after you again."

"Great idea, HUE."

Gary stared at the Ventrexian and questioned how in the hell he was going to be able to bring him back to his apartment. He grabbed the other man's legs and started dragging him down the alley, but he realized that he looked like he had just committed murder. 

He dropped the legs with an aggravated sigh. "Seriously, dude? You just had to do this several blocks from where I live?"

Gary groaned loudly, shaking out his limbs and stretching as an idea came to him. He crouched down next to the man and heaved him up across his shoulders. As Gary stood up from the dirty ground, he wobbled with the extra weight. 

"Oh my god, the cat man is way heavier than he looks," Gary shouted while he tried to stumble out of the alley way.

He was struggling a lot. Maybe too much, but what could he expect? Definitely not this. Carrying an unconscious man was not on his bucket list or any list, yet here he was, doing exactly that. Every person who he passed gave him an odd look, and he had to ramble about his friend being wasted again.

Well, if this guy could stay for long enough, Gary thought that he could force him into a game of cards or two. It was a possibility, and he hadn't interacted meaningfully with another person in a long time. Actually, Gary was pretty sure that that was the longest conversation he had had with a real person in years. God, he really needed this.

* * *

Avocato didn't stop glaring daggers at Gary for hours after he woke up. It was absolutely because Gary was winning at poker and not the fact that he was handcuffed to a shitty radiator.

The Ventrexian also wasn't a fan of Mooncake, a fact which was absolutely criminal.

"Ha! Four of a kind!" Gary shouted, slapping his cards onto the table. "Read it and weep Avo-cat-o."

Avocato rolled his eyes, but they widened as a buzz went off in his pocket. He wriggled in an attempt to get out of his handcuffs again, sighing as it didn't work.

"Here, let me check that for you," Gary said as he reached into Avocato's pocket and pulled out his phone. "It's from Turk...says he 'found the address.' Who the hell is Turk?"

"A bounty hunter, like me. He probably followed you back here and is heading back to tell the Lord Commander," Avocato explained gruffly.

Gary nodded. "Okay, this Lord Commander guy...never heard of him."

"He wants your pet back. If Turk delivers that information, you're gonna find yourself in a whole heap of trouble," Avocato said. "So, let me out of these cuffs, and we can stop him from doing it."

Gary didn't trust like that. It seemed almost too simple. Gary was clueless a lot of the time, even he had to admit that, but Avocato could've probably easily broken out of those handcuffs by now if he really wanted to. 

"Slow down, cowboy. Why should I free you?" Gary said in distrust. 

Avocato sighed. "I've got a bone to pick with Turk, so am I gonna be let go or what?"

"First, we clasp."

"We what?"

Gary slapped his hands together with a grin. "A hand to hand bond of bros so that I know I can trust you. Only way you'll get out, cat man."

"First of all, not a cat. Second, we don't have to get balls to the wind naked, do we?" Avocato looked like he would rather be burning in a fire than here. 

Gary shook his head with a smile as he clasped Avocato's hand and removed the cuffs. "Tradition demands yes, but this crappy apartment has thin walls."

Avocato rolled his eyes and flexed his wrists, snatching his gun from where Gary hid it poorly. Crap, he really should've put it in the drawer like he had planned. The Ventrexian eyed Mooncake, so Gary instinctively brought his little buddy closer to him than before.

"Okay, let's make haste people! We've got a guy to stop!" Gary shouted as he ran to the door.

Avocato raised an eyebrow at Gary. "Shouldn't we take Mooncake?"

"Too dangerous. Be good, little buddy!"

Mooncake cooed happily until KVN had to squeeze him, but Gary and his new friend were already sprinting down the stairs to where Gary's only semi-functioning anything lived. He nudged Avocato with his elbow in excitement, then tore off the tarp covering his hovercycle.

His friend wasn't impressed as he said in disgust, "We're riding that piece of junk?"

"It's a work in progress. You got anything better?"

Gary hopped on while Avocato groaned and joined him. A flawless start to a new friendship.

* * *

Gary had destroyed a family, met a maniacal gang leader with an insane and creepy need for Mooncake, lost his _entire_ arm, and was betrayed by his new friend all in the span of two hours. 

What a day.

He grimaced as his shoulder flared, the pain coursing through his arm despite there not being an arm there anymore. It was such a confusing sensation. And painful. Very, very painful.

Avocato stood near the door as Gary collapsed into a chair, and he could tell that the Ventrexian felt guilty. The pain was too much for Gary to even want to address what the hell had just happened. 

Mooncake nuzzled against Gary's face, bringing the slightest bit of reprieve from the excruciating feeling. Then his little buddy flew away, but he came back with an old robotic arm he had found once. 

"Ah, an animatronic arm could be surgically attached, but someone will need to perform the procedure," HUE said. 

"Thanks for finally pitching something in, HUE. Only took a few hours!" Gary yelled, glaring at the watch where the AI was stored. 

"I'll do it," Avocato said seriously.

The Ventrexian started quickly, focusing on his task and not speaking much. They were both trying to process everything they had learned today. Avocato had a kidnapped son, and Gary was still hung up on that. 

"I thought we were gonna be, like, super friends, man," Gary said quietly. 

Avocato picked up another tool. "I've only had one mission for the past three years, and it is finding my son."

The determination with which Avocato said that shook Gary to his core. He was so dedicated to that task, and for three years? He would probably do anything necessary for his boy, Gary had to guess. 

"I would've helped you get your son back."

Avocato paused his work to stare at Gary confusedly. "Why? You—you barely know me."

"We played nine hours of cards together. If that doesn't mean friendship, I don't know what does."

They fell silent again as Avocato finished up with Gary's arm for a few minutes. Gary usually hated the silence because it reminded him of how lonely he was, but this was different somehow. It wasn't as depressing this time.

Finally, Avocato placed the arm on Gary and stepped back. Gary flexed it, testing out the connections and making sure everything worked. He smiled.

"It's an unconventional start to a friendship, but—"

"Shh," Gary cut him off, placing a finger over the man's lips. "No words, only clasps."

Avocato smirked in tandem with Gary as their hands connected in a bond that Gary was willing to take to the grave. 

"We're gonna get your son back, that's a real raw promise."

"And we'll keep Mooncake safe."

Gary jumped down from the table with Avocato's help, the Ventrexian's warm hand feeling different than expected due to his new arm. He could get used to this quickly, probably. 

"More cards?"

Avocato's groan made Gary laugh harder than he should have, but he was shut up soon enough by his arm spasming and slapping him in the face.

* * *

Avocato was quiet a lot. Gary didn't know if that was just his personality or because he was worried about his son, but it almost seemed like a mix. While Avocato could talk a lot, he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself. Right now though...Gary wasn't so sure.

They tried to find somewhere to hide Mooncake to avoid the Lord Commander finding him, and that failed miserably. And there still weren't any valuable leads on where Little Cato was.

"Avocato?" Gary tried, walking up behind his friend who was sitting on a random bench in the park. 

"Yeah, Gary?"

Gary took that as a cue to continue, so he sat down next to his buddy and watched as Avocato's face changed from appearing lost to hardened.

"How're you feeling?" Gary asked.

"Great."

Gary tilted his head at that. "You sure? Because you looked pretty down in the dumps just then."

Avocato turned away from him slightly. While Gary knew that it was a universal sign of "leave me alone," he wasn't going to take that for an answer.

"Tell me about Little Cato," Gary said.

Avocato turned back. "What?"

Gary shrugged. "Yeah, tell me about your boy."

His friend shook his head in disbelief, an exasperated expression on his face. "Okay, fine. He's...my son."

"Real great start, buddy."

Avocato growled at him, making Gary slide away from him on the bench.

"He's a great fighter. Super agile. Smart as a whip." A small smile graced Avocato's lips as he continued to talk. "He loves any kind of weapon, but guns definitely excite him."

"Sounds like a good kid."

Avocato laughed quietly. "Yeah, he is. Doesn't deserve me as a father, though."

His friend buried his face in his hands, rubbing at his eyes. Avocato hunched himself over, and Gary thought it was the definition of despair.

"What...do you mean?" Gary asked cautiously.

"I've been a terrible father to him. He probably hates me," he admitted. "You know, you really don't have to help me. What do you even really know about me anyways?"

Gary hummed. "Well, for a guy who says that he's not a cat, you sure like milk. Other than that, not much."

The Ventrexian leaned back, gazing blankly up at the sky rather than at his best friend. Gary had seen enough TV to know what was about to happen. 

"I hate the Lord Commander for a reason. I used to be his Second in Command."

Gary froze at his friend's solemn words, the reigning silence deafening despite the din of the city. Avocato didn't move, and Gary didn't want to say anything even though questions were swarming his mind. 

"I was his number one assassin and his right hand man. I killed anyone he told me to, no questions asked. He demanded loyalty above all else, so one day he asked all of his top people to kill their first borns."

Avocato was glaring more intensely than Gary had ever seen out of the man, the rage and hatred almost tangible. 

"That is like, midnight dark," Gary mumbled. Avocato didn't react.

"I—I was going to do it, but then I backed out," he admitted, shame lacing his voice. His shoulders slumped over a defeat he had clearly been feeling for years. "I tried to kill the Lord Commander, but I was no match for him. So, he kidnapped my son as a way to punish me for betraying him."

Working for someone like the Lord Commander was...not good. "How'd you end up working for a crazy boss like that in the first place?" Gary asked, some of his internal anger seeping through.

"By not asking the questions I didn't want to hear answers to."

His friend looked utterly defeated, like the world itself had gazed right into his soul and said he had failed. Gary understood what it felt like to be broken and not worth a damn thing. Hell, Gary still was worth nothing, but that didn't matter as he saw his friend curl around himself, guilt making his tail curl sadly. 

"You still want anything to do with me?" Avocato mumbled, the slight quiver in his voice betraying everything he was trying to keep down. 

Gary placed his metal hand on his buddy's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "All of us are broken. Just a matter of how much and how far we're willing to go to fix it."

He tried to give his best encouraging smile when Avocato glanced at him in surprise, and Gary was pleased by the tired smile he got in return. 

"Plus, I've probably been in more gangs than you. It's not a contest, but I think I win on that," Gary teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"None as bad as this one, Gary."

"Okay, you got me there."

* * *

Gary and Avocato raced through the nighttime traffic, weaving through the cars on Gary's hovercycle. They could catch up if Gary drove down this street...right here!

The blond made a sharp turn down the alley, narrowly avoiding being hit by an oncoming hovercar by flying above it. He barely gave Avocato's panicked screaming any notice as he focused on beating the car he needed to get to. Okay, he noticed the Ventrexian's claws digging into his side through his jacket, and he would definitely yell at his friend for that later. 

But yelling could wait until after he rescued Quinn. Damn, was he glad that Avocato's police scanner picked up this. 

Gary sped up as he approached the end of the alley and flew out into the busy street, dodging even more incoming cars than before. 

"Gary, pull up!"

The two men screamed as Gary dropped them to avoid the incoming car only to be almost hit by another. 

"You are terrible at this, baby!" Avocato shouted, slapping the back of Gary's head. 

"Hey! I haven't been in a high speed chase in a while! Cut me some slack!"

"Gary!"

Avocato's finger pointed right towards the cop car they were looking for that was directly underneath them, and Gary wormed his way down quickly. His friend turned around and warmed up his blaster, so Gary pressed a button on the handle that locked Avocato's feet in place. 

He heard the shots fire towards the cars and hovercycles chasing after them, but Gary focused all of his attention onto the woman who leaned out of the car to shoot at her pursuers. Gary flew down to be alongside the car, keeping pace as Avocato spun around to shoot all of his attackers. Gary swerved to avoid a shot, but Quinn was so concentrated on driving and avoiding civilians that a shot went through her engine. Her car started sputtering before she could do anything about it, and Gary watched in slow motion as she launched herself out of the crashing vehicle.

Without thinking, Gary dove down sharply to go after her, a hand reaching out desperately for her as the other accelerated. Quinn's hand stretched towards him, and he grabbed on only for their grips to slip. Fear flashed in Quinn's eyes, but Gary snatched her arm by the collar of her uniform to swing her behind him on the bike. Quinn wrapped her arms tightly around his body as Gary dodged even more shots and cars. 

He allowed himself a quick glance to Quinn's surprised face, and he smiled breathlessly underneath his worn helmet. Avocato continued to shoot, then Quinn assisted him as their pursuers continued after them. Wait, were those the police?

Gary shook his head and rode as fast as his bike would allow him to without breaking down or getting captured as the two behind him retaliated relentlessly. 

"I think we got them all, but keep driving wildly as we head back," Avocato yelled up to Gary. He remained at his watch post in the back. 

Gary nodded and weaved through traffic aimlessly. He had been the get away driver enough times to know the patterns. 

He was so excited to have Quinn behind him, on his bike, after five long years of not having seen her. 

After what felt like forever, Gary slowed down and stopped outside of his disgusting apartment building. They all dismounted with heavy sighs, and Gary ripped off his helmet to stare at Quinn.

She smiled gratefully at him. "I'm going to have to use some of your things. I've got a class C priority."

"Quinn...," Gary whispered. His brain shut off, and he smirked. "You're every bit as spicy as the last time I saw you."

"I'm sorry, but you resemble no one that I know."

Gary's heart broke as Avocato made eye contact with him and mouthed, "I told you so."

* * *

Gary pouted as he leaned against the radiator as Quinn pulled up a document of her information on her current investigation. She still had no idea who he was, and he was still devastated over that fact. Avocato had told him to get over it.

"They don't have a name, but their power is expansive and immense. The entire country is in their hold. They're involved in every crime imaginable, from all trafficking, both human and animal, to illegal experimentation and insane drug cartels," she explained cleanly.

"That's the Lord Commander," Avocato informed, glancing over the information. "Add all sorts of governmental corruption and serious assassinations to the list, and you've got your organized crime."

Quinn seemed confused. "The Lord Commander? You two know who's running all of this?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah, he's the guy chasing my little buddy." Mooncake wiggled in Gary's arms at his introduction.

Quinn and Avocato continued to exchange information on their attackers as Gary skimmed through the projection. His eyes caught on a name near the bottom for past investigations, and the breath left his body.

"My dad investigated them?" Gary whispered to himself.

Apparently, it wasn't to himself. "Who was your dad?" Quinn asked, coming up beside him.

Gary turned towards her. "John Goodspeed."

Quinn's eyes sparked as she stared at Gary in a new light. "Wait, I remember you now! Five years ago, you're the one who tried to impress me by chasing his own gang, then you blew up half of the police station and a hot dog cart when you crashed a car!"

"Yes! You do remember me!"

"I do. Now get that finger out of my face before I break it," Quinn threatened. 

Gary laughed until the nerves attached to his robotic arm screamed in protest to the snapped finger. 

Avocato sighed as Gary screeched, and the Ventrexian didn't stop berating his friend over how to act in front of people once while he fixed his finger.

* * *

Gary and Avocato were suspicious over the whole police trying to shut down Quinn's investigation situation, and they tried to tell Quinn how it spelled corruption. The keyword was tried...because it didn't work.

Avocato rubbed his forehead. "Look, I know of one site in Tennessee that has some pretty damning evidence. If we go down there, that should give you all the evidence you need even if it doesn't prove collusion with the government. But it will definitely prove that."

Quinn rolled her eyes as she nodded. "That should be good, but the government is one of the last things keeping the world from crumbling. I trust it with my life."

The two guys glanced at each other and shrugged. 

"Time for a road trip!"

* * *

"HUE? Please tell me we're almost there," Gary pleaded with the AI as he continued to drive his hovercycle.

"We are twenty minutes away, Gary."

The trio groaned in relief, all collapsing in their seats. This was far from the most comfortable ride they had ever experienced collectively. Especially with Quinn not trusting any of them except Mooncake because he was a friend-shaped ball. 

Gary focused on ways to impress Quinn as Avocato rambled off information about what they were walking into with the disclaimer that things could have changed a great deal. Quinn just stared at the scenery and kept her thoughts to herself. 

This was not a successful road trip, but he did learn that Avocato was great at I spy.

* * *

Gary and Avocato walked into their motel room, bickering about something that Gary couldn't even remember, after their failed mission to see Quinn tearing her police insignia from her uniform. She wasn't coping with learning the depth of the corruption that the Lord Commander had with the government, especially the police.

"What are you doing?" Gary asked quietly. 

Anger flashed in Quinn's eyes. "You were right about everything."

"I know. It's my blessing, and my curse."

Quinn deflated completely, crushing the insignia in her shaking fist as her conflicted eyes flitted towards Gary and Avocato. "I don't know what to do."

"Healthy people trust," Gary said gently, glancing at his Ventrexian friend fondly. "We need more of that, not less. So start with us!"

Gary jumped onto the bed next to Quinn, resting his cheek on a fist. He smiled goofily at her to lift her mood, and his grin grew as Avocato sat down gently.

"We're the good guys now," his friend stated, crossing his arms.

The three smiled at each other, and Gary hadn't felt truly close to people since his dad had died. It was the greatest and warmest feeling in the world. 

"Okay, we're gonna go eat at that diner over there and then play a crapton of card games while we figure out a plan," Gary said, leaping up and rushing out the door. His friends reluctantly trailed behind him with matching eye rolls, and everything was perfect.

* * *

Avocato took his phone out of his pocket when it buzzed, and Gary saw the moment his friend's face blanched. The blond peeked at the text and froze in his spot. 

"Is that your son?" Gary breathed. 

Avocato nodded. His eyes hardened onto the coordinates as he stood and grabbed his gun. "We're going."

Quinn stood up in shock and blocked Avocato's path. "What about stopping the Lord Commander? That takes precedent."

"It's my _son_, and we're going!" Avocato roared. His gun was aimed at Quinn before Gary could even blink.

Quinn drew hers onto Avocato. "I get that, but the world is at stake!"

"Gary, you promised!"

"Come on, Gary!"

His friends aimed at him, and he gulped nervously, placing his hands in the air. No matter what he chose, he would disappoint someone. But he knew his answer the moment Avocato got the message. 

"I choose both, but first...we rescue Little Cato," Gary said quietly as he grabbed one of Quinn's hands to squeeze it. 

Avocato pointed his gun back at Quinn. "You heard him, now drop it."

"You're just going to give up for one kid?!" Quinn shouted in frustration. Gary stayed silent only because he knew he looked as apologetic as he felt. "I thought I could trust you."

"Quinn, you can trust—"

"I'm going back to New York. This was a waste of time," she spat heatedly. She sounded so hurt....

Gary tried to reach out for her, but she grabbed her few belongings and left as Avocato held him back with a heavy hand on his shoulder. 

"You made your choice, Gary."

That was the first friend he lost.

* * *

It was a trap. They both knew it as they stared at the eerily quiet lab in Texas. 

"Gary, you don't have to do this," Avocato said for the hundredth time, laying a hand on the blond's shoulder. 

"It's too late now," Gary said with a shrug, and he clasped Avocato's shoulder. 

"You're a good friend." Avocato placed his other hand on Gary. 

Gary stared deeply into Avocato's eyes as his hand drifted to his buddy's other shoulder. "I would've gone with great, but good...works, too...."

Avocato laughed breathlessly. "What is happening?"

"I think we're about to hug."

"Should we?"

"The siren's call is beckoning us. We shan't ignore her!"

Their eyes drilled into each other's souls, then their arms engulfed the other in a steady hug. Avocato nuzzled into Gary's shoulder while Gary melted at the contact. He hadn't hugged anyone in about two decades, and that was a final goodbye. This one felt too similar, so Gary knew that this could be the mission they wouldn't come back from. 

"Thanks, bud. Needed that." Avocato's smile was so genuine that Gary's heart fluttered.

"Let's go get your boy back."

"If anything happens," Avocato began. Gary had never seen him so earnest and trusting, and he felt his heart crack. "Take care of my boy."

Gary just nodded. He couldn't argue with his friend's potential last wish, even if he didn't want to entertain the idea. 

Their hands clasped, they nodded to each other, then burst into the building, guns blazing and ready to attack. There was no one. Avocato pointed for Gary to go left as the Ventrexian went right, and Gary wanted to yell a goodbye that would mean something. 

But his friend disappeared around the corner, and the blond had to push forward. 

"Little Cato!" Gary shouted down the empty hallways, looking into every room in the hopes of seeing the kid.

The longer he walked, the more hopeless it felt. He reached the end of a corridor and rubbed a tired hand down his face. He opened the door and stopped cold as a shot went off on the balcony, connecting with his best friend's chest.

Gary tried to scream as his buddy stared in horror at his shooter that dashed off in a blur before the blond could stop them. Avocato stumbled backwards into the railing. Gary was sprinting with a hand outstretched as eyes rolled back into Avocato's head, but he was helpless to do anything except watch in despair as his best friend's body tumbled off of the ledge into the river below.

Gary's scream was drowned out by the static buzzing in his ears as he lost his second friend in the same day.

* * *

Mooncake floated next to Gary as he walked through the pouring rain back to his apartment. He squished the eviction notice taped on his door in his soaked hand. He breathed in, then collapsed onto the hard floor in a heap. 

Quinn.

Little Cato.

_Avocato_.

He failed them all.

"Gary, your prison sentence is up. You are now free."

Gary had no reason to stop his tears.

* * *

Gary didn't care about the new development of Clarence having two adopted kids as he signed forms he didn't care to read. He just...needed a job that he wouldn't get fired from and a new apartment. 

"Congratulations, primate. I now own you," Clarence giggled.

"That's great," Gary mumbled. He stood up with his meager boxes of belongings with a sigh. "Can I have my apartment key?"

The girl, Ash, ran over and snatched the right key from the office wall. Gary took it from her gently. She was probably Little Cato's age. 

"Do you need any help?" Fox asked, already leaning down to pick up a box. 

"Nope, I've got it all."

Gary quietly took the box from the other kid and walked out without another word. He made quick work of setting up his new studio apartment and shoving Avocato's box into the closet. He owned nothing. The blond brought his damaged hovercycle, his clothes, Mooncake, and KVN, for some unfathomable reason. 

He needed decent furniture and kitchen supplies. A TV, too, for when he found the kid. 

Gary dropped his head onto the nice kitchen island and buried his head into his arms as Mooncake nuzzled him comfortingly.

* * *

Every informant that he used to know was being used to find Little Cato. It was hard without a description of the kid or any pictures of him, but no leads were found. Even after weeks of looking in every possible way he could. 

Gary was running another security camera scan with the help of HUE who had transferred himself into a garbage bot lying around Clarence's mechanic shop to "keep a better eye on Gary." HUE had had no success either. 

The bell on the door jingled as Gary tightened a screw in an engine, and he lifted his head tiredly only to choke on his own spit. 

"Quinn?!"

Except it was an older Quinn that looked like she could snap Gary in half with a look. Two parallel scars ran across her cheek, and a device was attached to her forehead. He had no idea if any of this was real. 

"An aunt of hers that she's never met before, but you can call me Nightfall," the woman said with a smile. "Nice to finally meet you, Gary."

"Finally?" Gary questioned.

Nightfall nodded as she approached Gary. "Those tight spots that you managed to get out of? Those were all me, such as HUE becoming independent."

Gary had so many questions, but he was so tired from looking for Little Cato all night and day while working endlessly that he couldn't understand any of them. 

"Why?" Gary asked dumbly. It was the only one his brain could handle.

Nightfall pet Mooncake nonchalantly. "Keeping tabs on this little guy while trying to take down the Lord Commander, and I stumbled across you. You succeeding helps me win."

The Gary from before would be bouncing from wall to wall over this information, but the blond now simply nodded and went back to work. If he didn't work, he couldn't save up money for when he eventually would have to take care of Little Cato. Oh damn, he didn't know how to parent. He should probably learn soon.

"Gary?"

The blond was snapped out of his thoughts with a hand on his shoulder. Nightfall was looking at him in slight worry, so he forced himself to smile. 

She frowned. "Mhmm, not impressing me. I know your friend died."

Gary's indifferent mask crumbled instantly. His greasy hands rubbed at the bags under his eyes as all of the stress fell onto him at once. 

"I can't find his son. I—I _promised_." Gary was pleading, "Please, help me find him...."

Nightfall nodded seriously. "I'll try my best."

* * *

Gary was at his wit's end. There was no progress even after a few months. At least his apartment and bank account were ready for if he ever found Little Cato. He...really didn't have the strength to hope. 

He was walking back from another bust from an informant, his hands in his pockets, when he noticed a man steal a wallet from a small kid. The kid didn't look like he was in the best situation, so Gary snatched the wallet from the thief, as well as the thief's own wallet. Gary allowed himself a small smile. 

The blond slipped the money into the kid's measly wallet and gave it back. The small Ventrexian had definitely seen better days from how cold and bitter he was towards Gary, and it only reminded him of how lonely Little Cato had to be. 

He didn't think about the kid again until he tried to steal Gary's wallet on another failure day. 

The boy was so obviously doing it out of necessity, and Gary remembered what it felt like so vividly that his mouth moved before his brain even had time to start. 

"You, uh, want help?"

The kid's exhausted eyes widened almost comically before they sharpened in distrust. 

Gary didn't know what he was doing, or where this had come from, but he was committing to the idea even when the kid glared at Gary for giving him the money that he would have stolen from him. He could...handle two kids. And they were both Ventrexians, so they would probably get along.

Gary couldn't stand to see a kid go through the torment he suffered while on the streets.

Now, he just had to get the kid to trust him.

* * *

Gary had never felt more clueless than when presented with a sick and delirious child. The first two days he was lost, but it was even worse when the kid's fever peaked. Spidercat's eyes were so glossy, and his fur was matted down with sweat. He was the definition of uncomfortable.

The high fever made Gary's heart beat rapidly in panic as HUE warned him over the severe consequences of it continuing. He wanted to do more for the boy, but he had to go to work. 

Before he could leave the apartment, Spidercat snatched his sleeve with an iron grip and stared at Gary with a creepy intensity. "Don't go," the kid pleaded. 

"I'm just going downstairs to work, I'll be back in like an hour."

"Dad, please. Don't go." The kid's voice was breaking along with Gary's heart as his arm was surrounded by a child.

"Spidercat, I'm not—"

"Dad, don't go. Please please please."

Tears were pooling in Spidercat's feverish eyes, and Gary didn't have the strength to deny the kid some semblance of comfort. He didn't know what to do though, but he sighed, "Okay, okay, I'm staying."

His Spidercat crawled into his lap the moment he sat down, and Gary froze in fear of jostling the sick kid. Gently, he placed his hand onto the kid's head and scratched behind his ears. The boy absolutely melted into the touch, and Gary was devastated over how desperate he was for any sort of attention. Desires came out when people were sick, right?

"Go to sleep now," Gary said quietly and sadly, in awe over how easy it was for someone to trust him. He was just going to ruin his innocence. 

He would make sure that Little Cato got this attention, too, when he found him.

* * *

Mooncake nuzzled into Gary's face as the man questioned whether or not it was worth it to smash his laptop to bits over not being able to find a trace of one singular kid. This search was becoming worse the longer it went on, but Gary would never give up. He made a promise. 

It was really frustrating him, though.

"Didn't know we were members of the same club."

Gary's eyes widened, and he slammed his laptop shut and spun towards his Spidercat. The kid was nervous beyond belief.

"What do you mean?"

Gary noticed the tears and wobbling lip first, and his heart shattered. "My dad died...a few months ago."

"Oh, buddy...." Gary opened his arms up before he could even think about doing anything else. After a moment's hesitation, the boy walked into the hug and let Gary hold him. 

Gary hadn't hugged anyone in months nor tried to comfort someone to this degree. The boy's sniffles and lack of a reaction to the hug urged Gary to hold him even tighter. 

"Does it get easier?"

Gary sighed. "No, you just...deal with it. I know how hard it is, to miss him and not have anyone around. I'm here though, so that you don't have to miss him alone."

Spidercat glanced up at him from inside his arms, and Gary hoped that he looked as inviting as he wanted to be for the kid. He thought he succeeded from the way the Ventrexian wrapped his small arms around Gary's torso in return. Gary stiffened, then melted into the hug between them and Mooncake. 

Gary would do anything for this kid and Little Cato. 

That dedication only strengthened as the kid grew out of his nervous shell, but then a plate shattered.

* * *

Gary stops speaking, taking in a deep breath as he rubs his hands together anxiously. He hears a sniffle to his right, and Little Cato is there, his body wrapped around his father's helmet that Gary grabbed from the box of Avocato's stuff in the closet. The kid is so distraught, tears streaming down his face onto the helmet as his body shakes from the force of his crying.

Gary doesn't know what to do or say to make it better. Is that even possible?

"I did this," Little Cato mumbles underneath his breath, so quiet that Gary almost misses it. The boy is so upset....

"Little Cato...," Gary says softly, reaching out a hesitant hand to put on the kid's shoulder. The Ventrexian flinches away from him into the arm of the couch, and Gary freezes.

Little Cato's red-rimmed eyes flit to Gary, ripping his heart to shreds over how devastated he is. "I'm sorry," Little Cato sobs. The kid stands and runs to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door shut behind him. 

Gary scrambles after him, fear enclosing around his pounding heart. He pounds on the door as poorly muffled sobs filter through, Gary growing more frantic the louder the anguished cries become. Little Cato sounds like he's choking on every word Gary said about the time he knew his best friend. He hears a hard thump onto the floor, and Gary is panicking now.

"Little Cato!" he yells desperately. "Buddy, come on! Either let me in or come out!"

He doesn't get a response, but of _course_ he wouldn't. Gary's head falls against the door as the cries just continue and continue, sounding more painful and raw the longer they go on.

He...doesn't know what to do.

Is there anything he _can_ do short of busting down the door or scaling the wall outside to slip into the window? He could definitely pick the lock easily, but should he? Does the kid need space? Does Gary have to comfort him and be able to see him to help? Would any of this even help the grieving boy?

Gary turns around and slides down against the door, frustrated tears pooling in his eyes. He finally finds his best friend's son and ruins it all. How did he not know that this was him? How is he so _stupid_?

He knocks on the door again, much gentler this time. "Spidercat—Little Cato, I—," he tries, cutting himself off with a sigh of defeat. 

He'll just...sit here until the boy comes out. Until Little Cato is ready for food or comfort or something. 

Little Cato will come out soon.

Gary will be here when he's ready.

The box of Avocato's stuff catches his eye across the room, and Gary wipes his tears away quickly. 

"I miss you, friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT THIS ONE WAS A MONSTER. Are you happy now that questions have been answered? Because I am very excited to write what's coming...which is what I say every time. Thanks for the love again!!!


	10. The All-Purpose Mechanic

If Gary thought Little Cato's sobs were alarming, the silence is the worst thing he's ever heard. He doesn't know if the kid climbed out the window or died, and he also has no idea what to do about it. It's been...a while since the kid first locked himself in there. 

He knocks on the door gently. "Little Cato?"

No response. 

Okay, Gary said he wouldn't, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Gary stands up with a groan, his body protesting the movement after sitting on the hard ground in the same position for hours. He walks purposefully towards a drawer and takes out his lock picking kit. Gary rushes back to the bathroom, making quick work of the lock and sighing when he hears the click. 

He tosses the pick aside, gripping the handle with a nervous hand. He's worried—more worried than he's ever been. He can't mess this up, not again. This kid was alone for months because of his failure, so he has to put an end to that...for Avocato's sake. 

Mooncake nuzzles his face in silent support as he cautiously opens the door. Little Cato is curled up on the cold tile floor, his arms loosely clutching Avocato's helmet to his chest. The kid is fast asleep, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest relieves some of Gary's fears. At least the kid isn't dead or hurt...physically. 

Gary frowns, then carefully picks up Little Cato. The kid is so light that it's almost concerning, but Gary forces himself not to think about it as he sets the kid down in his bed. The blond grabs the kid's favorite blanket from the spot it was abandoned in when they finished their movie night and places it on top of him. Mooncake coos sadly while he joins Little Cato in bed, laying down next to the boy's head. 

Gary _wants_ to do something more, like ruffle his hair or give him a hug, but he shouldn't.

Instead, Gary drags himself into the kitchen to clean up the broken plate from earlier, but—

"I took care of it, Gary," HUE says from behind him. 

Gary looks between the clean floor and the robot in confusion. "You didn't have to do that, HUE. I could've handled it."

"You had more important things to worry about."

He lets his head fall onto the countertop with a dull thud. He's such an idiot. He's terrible. Avocato picked the wrong guy to look after his son. 

The search is off now. He'll have to let people know that they can stop looking. 

"Gary? Are you alright?" The cold metal of HUE's hand touching his forearm sends a shiver through Gary. "You have been awfully calm all night despite the situation."

He groans and pinches the bridge of his nose exhaustedly. "I'm fantastic, HUE."

"I highly doubt that, dude. Do you wish to—"

Gary doesn't give HUE time to finish the question before he strides out of the apartment and heads down to the garage. His hovercycle needs extensive work.

And hopefully, working will distract him from letting the guilt consume him.

* * *

Gary wakes up with a crick in his neck and back, probably from laying across his hovercycle uncomfortably. He fell asleep like this? Damn, last night was rough. 

Gary thoughtlessly checks his phone to see the time, and a storm warning catches his attention. Definite snow storm for the next two days, high winds, and a surprising amount of snow. He's glad that he stocked up on groceries with Little Cato—

_Little Cato_.

The blond springs into action as he cracks his back and bounds up the stairs to his apartment, flinging the door open quietly to see the kid still wrapped up in blankets and asleep. Giving Mooncake a quick pet, Gary sighs in relief. He'll let Little Cato sleep as much as he needs to after...everything. 

His Spidercat seems so calm and peaceful right now, but Gary knows that the kid will be a mess when he wakes up. Honestly, Little Cato might hate him. Gary won't be mad if he does...because he understands. It's his fault that all of this happened.

He needs coffee. 

Coffee and work, that's all he can do at the moment. 

Gary stands idly in the kitchen, tapping his socked foot on the ground as his coffee takes forever to brew. His eyes are locked onto the sleeping kid as he itches his nose in his sleep and snuggles deeper into the blankets. It's such a normal sight to have a kid asleep in his bed after a whole month of it, but Gary's stomach turns into knots despite it. 

Maybe he should leave a note for the boy, tell him to come downstairs when he wakes up. No, that's too pushy. Or maybe he needs to be more present to offer support? What if it's weird now since Gary knew his dad?

The blond sighs and downs a large gulp of his coffee, forcing down a shout when it burns his throat. 

Okay, now he's just ripping out the collapsing threads at this point.

Gary bounds down the stairs exhaustedly and slams his coffee cup onto his tool cart. His bike looks better than it did, some of the gunshot dents smoothed out and the paneling less loose. Working on the engine is the next best step—actually, the next best step would be to go upstairs and sort through his dead best friend's stuff so that his grieving son can get some much needed closure—that Gary is going to do now instead of thinking about whatever his dumb mind just said. 

Replace the engine fluid. Fix a pipe or two. Tighten some screws. Whatever he sees that's falling apart will be fixed.

If only parenting were that easy. Should he have breakfast ready for the kid?

Gary shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Oh, I've got these buttery buns into a hot vice now, huh, Avocato?" he mumbles to himself.

No one answers him except the whistling winds outside that rattle the walls. That storm is picking up rather quickly. Gary takes a quick peek out the blinds to see snow swirling violently in the air. 

He wants to cry or scream or go hug the hell out of the kid, but all he can do is card a shaky hand through his hair quickly and dive back into work. If he can work, he can forget and ignore until later. Hopefully. That's the plan, at least.... Okay, Gary knows that he won't stop thinking about Little Cato, but a guy can wish. 

Gary gives up for the moment. He just lets the weight on his shoulders drag his head down to slam into the seat of his red hovercycle. His eyes are drawn to the scratch in the seat that he never mended from when Avocato rode with him for the first time. The memory of his friend's screech of terror brings a tired smile to his face. 

A loud pounding on the door of the garage startles Gary out of his reminiscing, and he snatches his gun from where it's hidden. Wow, he hasn't done this in a while; his nerves must really be on edge. The man drops the gun onto his tool cart with a clang and strides over to the door, quickly unlocking it. It slides open and shut quickly, and Gary has to jump back to avoid being rammed into by someone covered head to toe in heavy winter clothing, snow clinging to them fiercely. 

"Woah, are you insane? Why would you be out in weather like this?" Gary asks in shock, staring as they shake off some of the snow.

The person freezes, turning towards Gary for the first time to stare at him. They remove their hat and scarf, and Gary is left standing there with his mouth open in disbelief.

"Gary?" Quinn asks, looking him up and down in a similar fashion. 

"Quinn?" he responds. All brain function has stopped, but he is suddenly made aware of the fact that Quinn is here and looking at him in his pajamas which consist of a t-shirt and his boxers. This is...not an ideal situation.

Her face quickly turns from surprise to open disdain as she stares at the garage. "So, this is what you've been doing. Helping yourself I see. You're not gonna be of any help, so I should just go before you screw me over again."

Gary frowns as his heart shatters at her words, reminding him of old wounds that never healed. He never apologized to her after...that whole mess.

"Quinn, wait—," he starts, reaching out a hand desperately, his mouth failing to come up with the words he needs to say. Her open dislike for him causes him to sigh and forget all the apologies and explanations he has to tell her. "If it's your car, I can help with that."

"I'll find someone else who actually knows what they're doing," she sighs, wrapping her scarf around herself again.

Gary bites his lip nervously, mainly because he doesn't want someone else to slip through his fingers right when he got them back, but also because he knows there aren't any mechanics who would help her in this weather around here. His hand grabs her wrist and holds it gently, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"I–I know that you hate me, but let me help you with this. Then you can leave when the storm clears and never think about me again. It's...the least I can do," Gary trails off softly.

Quinn's lips are pressed into a firm line as she regards him in distrust. Eventually, she sighs and shoves Gary's hand off of her. "Fine."

He allows himself a small smile. "Okay, I'll go, um, put on pants."

She nods tersely, so Gary runs up the stairs and into his apartment to get changed into winter gear quickly. Little Cato is still curled up into a ball in the bed, looking so small with his body wrapped around the helmet. Gary shakes his head as he rushes into his coat and boots. Focus on Quinn for now while the kid is asleep and worry later. Gary finally slips everything on and snatches his gloves, ready to rush right back out the door when he pauses next to the bed. He pulls the blankets tighter around the boy and hesitates before giving him a hair ruffle. 

Quinn is impatiently waiting downstairs for him, and she wastes no time in walking back out into the cold. Gary follows after her dutifully, trying to calm his thoughts that have been bouncing back and forth between stressing over Quinn or Little Cato. Now is not the time to get distracted. 

They reach her car rather quickly, and Gary opens the driver's side door and fiddles around until he finds the emergency release for the hover stabilizers. He flips a quick switch that makes the car hover again.

The two start pushing the car down the street, the chilled wind whipping Gary's hair that can't be contained under his hat into his eyes. Quinn seems unfazed, like this is a normal occurence for her to have to push a car through a brewing blizzard. They don't talk as they struggle to keep their footing on the icy pavement. 

They finally reach the garage, and Gary punches the key in to open the door. With a few final heaves, they shove the car in and close the door behind them. Gary flips off the emergency stabilizers in the car and sighs. 

He shakes off some of the snow on him, shedding his layers as Quinn does the same. He notices that Quinn is in casual clothing, something that he's never seen before. He should stop that train of thought.

"So, what happened to it?" Gary asks as he begins a quick inspection.

Quinn shrugs. "Engine just gave out or something. It was driving fine until it just started dipping down low to the ground all of a sudden no matter what I tried."

Gary hums in acknowledgement as he pops the hood. "Yeah, stabilizers are probably shot. Engine looks a little worse for wear—did you get shot at?"

Quinn nods. "That's what happens when you investigate a crime organization, Gary. You get shot at," she says, annoyance slipping into her tone. "Doesn't help much when you have to do it on your own."

Gary winces. "Quinn, I wanted to help—"

"Then where were you? You chose Avocato over me—that's fine. But I don't see him around either. Did you ditch him, too?" Quinn yells, her frustration and anger making Gary feel even more guilty than before. "I didn't want to hope that maybe you would actually try to help me once you got your friend's kid back, but I never got a call. Nothing. You were done with me just like that and—"

"Avocato died," Gary whispers, cutting off Quinn's rant. She freezes, her furious eyes turning sad instantly. "We went to look for his son, and he was shot."

Gary watches Quinn struggle with her emotions, trying to wrestle her anger down to make way for this new information. "I'm so sorry," she says quietly, resting a hand on his shoulder awkwardly. "What about his son?"

He laughs mirthlessly. "Found the kid a month ago and didn't know it was him until last night. That's why I...never called, or anything. I needed to find him."

Quinn takes her hand away and looks to the ground. Gary does the same as they lean against the car. The silence would be enjoyable if this wasn't the first time that they've talked in months. The drip of melting ice from the car distracts Gary from thinking about how much of a mess this is.

"How is he?"

"He was doing good, getting better every day until last night. Told him everything, then the kid locked himself in the bathroom and cried," he admits quietly.

Gary moves from his spot and continues looking over the car as Quinn stays silent. 

"Well, your car is gonna need a part I don't have, so I guess you're here until the storm clears," Gary huffs, dropping his tools down.

Quinn nods, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks just like he remembers, maybe just a little more tired. He hates that he hasn't thought about her much in these past months, but he sure did miss her, even if she couldn't really stand him.

"So, uh," Gary says nervously, "want some coffee?"

* * *

Gary is nursing a cup of coffee with Quinn at the kitchen island, watching the rise and fall of Little Cato's chest. Quinn was caught up on everything, and Gary learned that Quinn hadn't been making much progress on her own and without a job after she got fired from the police department. 

"I kinda can't believe that's his son," Gary mumbles. 

Quinn turns around to look at the still asleep boy. "Yeah, me neither. He looks so different from Avocato, but so much the same."

Gary laughs quietly. "He's definitely got Avocato's sass."

Quinn smiles at that. "You should wake him up, he's probably hungry."

He nods and sets his coffee cup down, walking over to the bed. The man gently sits, staring at the kid in worry as his ear twitches in his sleep. It's so normal that Gary almost forgets that the kid had a breakdown last night...or that Little Cato called him dad yesterday.

Gary blanches as the memory hits him. He felt honored when it happened yesterday, but now dread fills his stomach and makes him bury his face in his hands. Oh god, the kid probably regrets calling the man that got his father killed that. Their relationship is probably dead. 

Okay. Okay, okay, Gary needs to fix this. First step, wake the kid up. 

"Hey, Spidercat," Gary greets softly, gently shaking the boy's shoulder. The nickname makes Gary's guilt grow.

Little Cato yawns and blearily opens his eyes. Gary feels the breath leave his body as the kid takes a moment to recognize who he is, then he smiles tiredly at him. Gary smiles back, rolling with this unexpected reaction while he waits for the kid to click the pieces into place.

"You hungry?" Gary asks.

Little Cato sits up and rubs his eyes with a nod. He always looks so innocent and young when he first wakes up, and today is no different. 

"It's the afternoon, so I was thinking of making an early dinner. Pasta sound good?" Gary continues speaking softly, not wanting to break this spell before everything crumbles. 

He gently cards a hand through the kid's hair, and Little Cato nods again. "Yeah, pasta is—"

The kid's hand falls onto the helmet, and he pauses. His eyes drift down towards it and quickly begin watering. Gary wishes that he could stop the kid from remembering the pain, but he's powerless. Little Cato's face crumbles, and he pulls away from Gary sharply.

"Hey, buddy, hey. I know, I know it hurts. I'm here though," Gary says, opening his arms for Little Cato. 

The kid, surprisingly, shoves the helmet away and doesn't move to accept Gary's hug. He just sniffles and mutters, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

Little Cato turns his head away and doesn't answer, worrying Gary immensely. He's in way over his head. Gary pats his shoulder quickly and stands up. The boy still doesn't react except for a small flinch at the contact. 

"I'll make you hot chocolate. Also, we have a guest over. Wanna say hi?"

The Ventrexian trails after Gary miserably and hops into a stool across from Quinn, folding his arms on the counter and hiding his face in them. Little Cato mumbles a quick greeting, but otherwise ignores her as Gary fumbles through the cupboards to find the hot chocolate and make it.

Why is he so nervous right now? It's just hot chocolate. It's just two people in his small apartment who he can't disappoint because they're the only people in his life anymore that he can't lose. Not again. His hands really need to stop shaking before he breaks another thing. 

Quinn is making idle small talk with Little Cato, introducing herself and saying she's heard a lot about him. The kid doesn't try to interact at all, and Gary can't blame him. Quinn is obviously just trying to fill up the silence, and Gary will have to thank her later for that. 

Gary pours the hot chocolate into a mug and sets it in front of Little Cato. He doesn't acknowledge his favorite drink, so Gary frowns and nudges him gently. "Why don't you go watch something while I make dinner?"

Spidercat gets up without a word, taking his hot chocolate and face planting onto the couch. Gary wants to just hold the kid and tell him that he can talk to Gary, that he knows how hard this must be and that they'll get through it together. But Little Cato obviously doesn't want Gary to touch him from how he's been so far. God, he really messed up. 

The blond wordlessly begins making pasta, honing in on the sound of Little Cato switching through channels aimlessly. The kid hates him. He definitely hates Gary, no doubt about it. 

This is a disaster.

* * *

Dinner was silent. Everything is silent. No one has anything to say. 

Gary tried to see if Little Cato wanted to sit and watch his first blizzard, but the kid just buried his head into the couch cushion and ignored him. 

He couldn't do anything to remedy this, not now. 

The kid is crawling back under the blankets after purposefully putting his father's helmet back into the box and hiding it in the closet. Gary doesn't know why he did it, but it is very concerning. 

Man, he really should have grabbed that parenting book when he had the chance. Or the book on grief. And the one about teenagers. He needs to learn a lot and fast.

Quinn is downstairs looking over her car with HUE, and Gary will join them in a few minutes. But first, he needs to break through to Little Cato. 

Mooncake continues to be the best little buddy by letting Little Cato hold him, making comforting coos to the grieving kid. Gary sits down on the bed again with a sigh; he's been doing that a lot lately. 

"Hey."

Little Cato mumbles something into his pillow.

"I-I know that it's hard...what happened to your dad. I miss him, too. But, you know, I'm here if you wanna talk," Gary comforts. He rests a hand on the blankets covering the boy, but he pulls his hand away when his Spidercat stiffens.

"I'm fine," Little Cato chokes out.

Gary raises an eyebrow at that. "It's okay if you're not. You know, your dad would never shut up about you. He really loved you."

The kid's voice breaks when he whispers, "He never said that to me."

Gary doesn't know what to do with that, or any of this. He just sits there dumbly, moving his hand back and forth in a debate with himself on what to do. If the kid doesn't want to be touched, he can't force himself onto the kid. But if he needs the physical comfort, Gary will hate himself if he doesn't deliver. 

"Get some rest, bud," Gary relents. "If you need me, you know where I'll be."

The blond gives in to his own temptation of ruffling the kid's hair, and he tries his best to ignore the way the kid shies away from it when he used to smile every time Gary did it. Whatever the kid is thinking isn't good for their relationship.

Gary has never felt so lost before, including after Avocato died. He thought that maybe, just this once, he wouldn't mess everything up. Maybe this time he could have something _good_. This kid, this kid that he never asked for yet is the only thing keeping him going anymore, was _so good_. 

Maybe everything went wrong when Gary was put into the equation. Maybe it was always going to go wrong.

Whatever the case, Gary is very worried about whatever will come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD AFTER ALMOST A MONTH I'M NOT DEAD ANYMORE
> 
> Hello, I am so sorry that this is so late, but college is a time and the semester will be over after Monday. I forced myself to have time to write this and I hope you enjoyed this one!!!
> 
> Thank you for all the love on this fic throughout it's whole run so far, y'all are fantastic and I apologize for the wait again!!!


	11. Reconnections

Gary is utterly lost. It's a different feeling from when he was in prison, knowing no one would want to see him again other than to kill him for pissing off whoever. This feels like swimming through all of his muddled thoughts, but every good thing shies away from him the moment he tries to get close. Lonely, almost, in a sad sort of way. What right does he have to be lonely when he got his only best friend killed, disappointed amazing and talented Quinn, and ruined Little Cato's life completely. 

He's staring at another dent in Quinn's car, thinking of the best way to fix it. Gary continues to stare at it, but then it hits him that he has been looking at it for too long. His eyes flick to his phone screen to see that it is now three in the morning. Lovely, it had been an hour and a half.

Gary groans frustratedly, tugging on the hair that falls into his face painfully as his head hits Quinn's car. No progress. Nothing. Once again. Can he do nothing right?

Well, Quinn did yell at him to get some sleep tonight before he sent her to sleep herself upstairs. It would be best if he just stayed up without working on her car or else she might slap him again if she realized he didn't sleep. 

Maybe...maybe he could use tonight to brainstorm ideas about how to help Little Cato. Yeah, yeah, that is a good idea. 

Gary pushes himself over to his laptop and flips it open, pulling up Google and staring at the search bar. He pops his lips, tapping his fingers aimlessly as he questions what he should look up. He glares at the bright screen, then types in his first thought and slams down on the enter key. 

"How to help a grieving kid," Gary mumbles under his breath, waiting for the search to load. When it does, he immediately slams his head on the desk.

Therapy. Of course most of the answers are about giving them time, being there for them, and therapy if it was more traumatic. Which it definitely was because Little Cato had literally been kidnapped and imprisoned for three years, then his dad—the only person in his life to the best of Gary's knowledge—died, leaving him out alone on the streets for months. 

Oh god, his Spidercat was _homeless_ for months, alone and hungry and scared. Gary groans frustratedly, letting his body collapse on top of the messy table-turned-desk with a thud. Can his inadequacy never stop hurting people?! The poor kid had been put through the hell Gary never wants anyone else to experience all because of him. 

Always because of him. 

Gary breathes out a pathetic laugh, choking as it tapers off into a whine. The heat in the garage is barely functioning, his bare feet on the ground seeping up its chill, but his face is hot as tears pool in his eyes. Gary laughs again in self-pity the moment he feels them, thinking that of course he's pathetic enough to cry as if he's the one who should be upset right now.

The frustrated tears just keep streaming down Gary's face, and he needs them to _stop_ before he can't. He slams the annoyingly bright laptop screen closed with a muffled yell, plunging the garage into pure darkness. The snowstorm winds howl and screech outside, rattling the crappy buildings and poles that might threaten to collapse soon. Gary shivers, as if the wind outside snuck up his back and into his spine, and he can do nothing as he is pushed towards collapse, letting out an angry sob. The weak table groans from a strong punch of Gary's metal fist as he tries his hardest to calm down his ridiculous crying. 

Why does he have to ruin _everything_?

* * *

Gary shuts his apartment door as quietly as possible, not daring to risk looking at Little Cato, Quinn, HUE, or Mooncake as he sneaks into the bathroom, and locks himself inside it. Flipping the lights on hurts his eyes despite the sun being high in the sky, but it hurts more to see his reflection. Gary grimaces as his bloodshot eyes stare at themselves, taking in the still drying tear tracks and his hair ruffled even more than usual. 

He sighs and turns away from the mirror, turning on the shower and hopping in, barely reacting to the freezing temperature of the water. He hates how long it takes for this stupid water to heat up. 

When he's done, the only thing that indicates his hour long crying session is the deep bags under his eyes. Well, those were there before that. But, Gary's eyes still look dull and almost lifeless, and that will definitely arouse suspicion. Quinn is too observant, and he is not going to let him being terrible affect Little Cato anymore. 

Gary takes a deep breath in, steeling his hands on the bathroom counter, then smiles at himself in the mirror. It holds for a second before it wavers, falling into a grimace quickly. 

Gary isn't good at most things, but he can fake being happy. That is the _one_ certain thing he can do in this entire messed up situation, so his face needs to get it together before Gary makes it. 

Wait, did he just threaten his mouth?

"Holy crap, I need coffee," Gary mumbles into his hands, rubbing his cool metal fingers on his forehead to lessen the strengthening ache there. 

With that, the blond forces himself out of the bathroom and to his kitchen to brew a much needed pot of coffee. He should make breakfast, too. As Gary passes by the bed, he has to resist the urge to ruffle Little Cato's hair. He bites his lip, resisting the action making his chest ache in a way that he doesn't know how to deal with. 

Maybe breakfast could wait until people are awake, Gary thinks, looking at the sleeping form of Quinn. She must have been tired if she had managed to sleep in this late. Late usually can't refer to eight in the morning, but it does for Quinn. She was always fully ready by the time Gary managed to wake himself up while he was working with her and Avocato. It has to be some sort of superpower to be a morning person. 

"Good morning, Gary."

Gary turns his head to look at HUE who ambles his way over to the man. 

"Mornin'," Gary greets, pouring himself a much needed cup of coffee. 

"How did you sleep last night?" the robot asks casually. 

He sips his coffee with a shrug. "It was fine. Snowstorm was loud, though."

"Sure, Gary," HUE says, some forced sort of inflection in his voice. Gary raises an eyebrow at him, causing HUE to cross his arms and awkwardly lean back against the kitchen island. "You were definitely asleep last night."

Gary opens then closes his mouth in confusion. "HUE, are you—are you trying to be _sarcastic_ right now?"

HUE pauses. "Obviously. You need to learn how to _read the room_, Gary."

The blond laughs under his breath, shaking his head. "Oh, we have got to work on your sarcasm skills. AVA could walk circles around that."

HUE's red light lit up quickly in what Gary has learned meant that he's angry, which is hilarious. Gary tries to suppress his smirk, but he couldn't help it. The blond sips from his coffee to hide his face as he walks out of his apartment and down to the garage, HUE waddling angrily after him. 

He jumps off of the last step and sets himself down in front of Quinn's car again after several hours, ready to buff those dents out. HUE marches right up next to Gary, and the man knows that a lecture is about to follow. 

"Gary, you did not sleep last night. I know because I came down to see if you fell asleep down here again, but instead you were—"

Gary raps his metal fist against HUE's head, cutting the AI off. "HUE, god damn, do you know the definition of privacy?"

"Yes, Gary. Privacy is defined as—"

The blond frowns at HUE. "No, HUE—we really need to work on your sarcasm skills. I meant that you don't need to check up on me like that anymore. I'm not under parole, so you don't need to keep constant watch of me to make sure I don't have a heart attack or kill myself or something, okay?!" he shouts, his anger about everything spilling over. 

HUE stays silent, choosing not to respond for the moment. Gary turns away from him, less upset, and starts fixing the bullet impact dents on the car. 

Man, he should have slept last night. 

Gary sighs, looking back at HUE with a small smile on his face. "Sorry, HUE. I know you're just worried, but I'm fine, I promise."

HUE stays silent, simply placing a robotic hand on Gary's flesh arm in silent support. 

The two get to work on the car, fixing dents and scratches in companionable silence as the snowstorm continues outside. Gary would be impressed at its strength, but he's too tired and upset to think about it. 

It isn't like Gary's grief over Avocato just went away overnight after losing him, of course not. But having Little Cato here just makes him think about his friend, and how he might have messed everything up for good. He wonders what the kid would have done if Gary had known who he was at the start. Would he have ever let the guy who got his dad killed help him? 

He frowns for what feels like the millionth time today until he hears footsteps on the stairs. He turns around, expecting to see Quinn coming down to check on her car, but instead he sees KVN flying in while dragging Little Cato down for the ear as the kid cusses the robot out. 

"Gary, look at how fluffy his tail is!" KVN yells, dragging the poor kid right down in front of him. 

Gary punches the robot, effectively making him let go of the kid's ear. "Did you wake him up and drag him down here just for that?!"

KVN pauses for a moment, then hums in agreement. Gary rolls his eyes and punches him again for good measure as HUE thankfully steers the useless piece of junk to another part of the garage. He needs to find out a way to kill that idiot soon before he loses what little sanity he has left, but his anger over that fades away when he hears Little Cato hiss. 

The blond turns his head to see the Ventrexian pressing down on his ear with a small grimace, some blood flowing out. "Oh my god," Gary says, standing up to get a better look at the kid, "did that idiot cut your ear?"

Little Cato nods with a wince. "It's not that bad, Gary," the kid mumbles. 

Gary gently takes the boy's hand away to see the surprisingly deep cut, and he sighs. "It doesn't look great, let's go get it cleaned up. Then I'll make us some pancakes."

The two walk upstairs quietly, Gary steering them to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit he keeps stashed away in there. Little Cato hops up onto the bathroom counter wordlessly and sits patiently as the blond gets what he needs to clean the small wound. Gary mumbles a quick, "This'll sting," then starts cleaning the blood away. The kid winces minutely, and Gary knows that his Spidercat is only not reacting because he's been through worse pain before. Gary and Avocato could only imagine what was done to the kid while he was imprisoned, and Gary only knows the tip of the iceberg about what happened while he was on the streets. 

Little Cato's ear is bandaged in no time, yet the blond is stuck thinking about how guilty the kid looked while sitting there silently. What he feels guilty over, Gary couldn't guess, but it was worrying. Instinctually, at this point, Gary's hand reaches out to ruffle the kid's hair, but he pulls his hand away when he remembers the kid stiffening the night before. Gary doesn't how they both seem to want the touch. 

He runs a hand through his hair quickly and plasters a bright fake smile on his face. "Okay, bud, chocolate chip pancake time."

Little Cato hops down and walks out of the bathroom, Gary following him out, and they both set eyes on Quinn, sitting on one of the barstools at the counter and sipping a cup of coffee. She smiles as they walk in, but Little Cato just walks straight towards the couch and curls up into a ball. Quinn raises an eyebrow at that, but Gary just shrugs and walks over to her. 

"Are pancakes good?" Gary asks, taking out a cup to get himself even more caffeine. He could never have enough of the stuff. 

"Yeah, pancakes sound good. Need any help with them?" Quinn asks. 

"Don't worry about it."

Gary starts gathering the supplies swiftly, mixing the batter and chocolate chips together thoughtlessly since he had done this so many times before. Usually, he'd be making whatever breakfast food was the choice for the day, Little Cato at his side watching how it was done and joking around with him. The kid's absence at his side feels cold, lonely, and utterly daunting. 

They eat breakfast in silence, other than KVN, Mooncake, and HUE having a conversation about something stupid KVN thinks should be discussed. Gary's eyes only drift from Little Cato for a few moments to glance at Quinn at his side, so the blond doesn't miss how the Ventrexian sips at his hot cocoa instead of chugging it or how he puts a normal amount of maple syrup on the two pancakes Gary gives him. The kid doesn't get up for seconds, but he stands to put his plate in the sink and then walk right back to his bed, climbing under the covers and staying there. 

Quinn and Gary glance at each other with equal levels of concern, but they finish their breakfast and go downstairs to finish up the few repairs left. 

"You know," Quinn says as they enter the garage, "I never would have associated the word 'domestic' with you before, but I think it fits."

Gary eyes flit to Quinn's amused face and bright eyes, so he blushes as he rubs the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. 

"I meant it in a good way." Quinn's words are muffled from laughter, despite the gloomy atmosphere they were just in. "You've...changed a lot from when I last saw you."

Gary shoots her a smile as he pops open the hood of her car to do some quick tune ups. "Losing you and Avocato kinda...woke me up or something, I guess. I figured if all this bad crap happened when people knew me, it must've been something I did."

The blond watches as Quinn leans against the side of her car, crossing her arms with a soft frown on her face. 

"To be completely honest, I used to think you were just some immature moron who would just get in my way," she admits gently. The storm outside quiets in tandem, almost seeming to hush to let her words ring more clearly. "I thought getting involved with you would just drag me down and that you wouldn't want to help me. But even after months and how obvious it was that I hated you, you're still doing all of this...."

Gary huffs out a chuckle. "Don't disagree, I had no clue what I was doing back then. I mean, I still don't. But of course I'm gonna help you. Since I found Little Cato now, I'm ready to get back into helping you take down the Lord Commander. I was always gonna come back eventually, I couldn't just abandon you."

Quinn's face softens as she opens and closes her mouth, clearly at a loss for words. She reaches a hand out and sets it on Gary's arm, giving it a light squeeze. The blond looks from her hand on his skin to the woman behind it, some of his breath leaving him at the contact. Even in the dim light of the garage, she still looks beautiful. 

She presses her lips together into a thin line. "Gary, you're taking care of Little Cato. I can't ask you to put yourself in danger like that with him to worry about. What if something happens to you?"

"What if something happens to _you_? That little green tictac could kill you so easily, even though you're super strong and capable. I–I should be out there helping you...," Gary trails off, dropping the wrench in his hand to place it on top of Quinn's. Saying all of the things he has bottled up over the past few months is nerve-racking. "Besides, I have Mooncake, he'll probably find me eventually. And I need to get revenge for Avocato."

"You don't need to throw yourself recklessly into this. Focus on the kid for now, especially since I don't think it would be good for him if he lost someone else," Quinn says, a strength and conviction in her voice that Gary lacks. 

Gary takes in a deep breath and nods. The two simply stand in silence for a moment, staring at their hands touching. It feels nice to talk to someone like this. 

"I am gonna help you though, even if you tell me not to. Think you can trust me again?" Gary asks, meeting Quinn's eyes, his expression earnest. 

It takes a moment for her to respond, but the quirk of her lips says enough for her. "I think I'd certainly like to try, Gary Goodspeed."

He grins back at her, and somehow he makes one of the most important people to him smile even brighter. 

He picks his wrench up again to continue working, spinning it on his metal finger until it flys off only to smack him in the face painfully. His grunt of pain and the following proclamations of hatred towards the metal object make Quinn laugh so hard that she snorts. He laughs with her despite whining about how much it hurts and swearing revenge on the wrench, and it makes the bleakness just a little less dark.

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful, the two making idle chatter about her car or random things. Little Cato stayed hidden in his pile of blankets, only coming out to eat or go to the bathroom, and talking to the kid was near impossible. 

Gary and Quinn couldn't do anything except go to sleep and hope to try again the next day. 

Now, Gary is installing that last piece needed to fix Quinn's car after running to another shop to grab it. The storm had stopped before the sun had set, so the snow was cleared surprisingly quickly, even for busy New York street standards. He tightens one last screw in the engine and shuts the hood with a rewarding _thud_. 

"Is it all fixed now?" Quinn asks behind him. 

He nods, satisfied with his work. "Yup, just gotta turn it on and make sure it's all good."

Quinn does the honors, turning her car on watching as it successfully hovers without making any odd noise. She sets it down again and gets out with a smile on her face. "Good job, Gary. It already sounds so much better. Now, how much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, I'm not gonna charge you for this," Gary says, crossing his arms for some added finality. 

Quinn frowns. "Any other shop would probably charge me a couple hundred at least for all of this, let me pay you something."

"Nope, don't need it Quinn."

Quinn groans in determined frustration. "Gary, I'm paying."

"No you are not."

"Gary—"

"Quinn—"

"—take it for Little Cato."

The blond stops at that, and Quinn's all knowing smirk annoys him that she won so easily. With a drawn out and obviously fake pissed off groan, he accepts the wad of cash she forces into his waiting hand. "Fine, but only because that kid has an appetite bigger than Mooncake's."

His pout doesn't last long against her twinkling eyes and her smile that twitches from suppressed laughter, turning into a small smile of his own with no resistance. 

"Thank you, Quinn," he near-whispers. 

"No, thank you, Gary," Quinn responds. 

He nods, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans nonchalantly. The idea of Quinn leaving again hurts more than it should, especially since she promised to stay in contact. 

"I'll let you know which contacts of mine you can use once I ask around. I might not find many more than you have that are willing to risk their butts to look into the Lord Commander," Gary says seriously. 

Quinn nods. "I'll keep you updated, too. Well...I should probably get going, my dog has probably driven my neighbor insane at this point."

The two pause in their awkward goodbye, staring at each other, an unspoken question lingering between them. They both minutely take a step towards each other, so the two humans cross the short distance and engulf the other in a soft goodbye hug. 

"Bye, Gary. Take good care of that kid, okay?"

He nods against Quinn's shoulder, tightening his grip around her back slightly. "That's the plan. Don't die being a hero just yet, okay? I can come help whenever."

Her laugh makes his chest rattle from their hug, and Gary wishes he could hold onto this for the rest of his life. After a few more moments in the friendly hug, they pull away. They smile at each other one last time, and Quinn goes into her waiting car. Gary closes the door behind her, muttering one last goodbye as he opens the garage door, letting her drive off to go back to her own place. 

He lets the garage door slide shut, and a shiver runs through his whole body after being shut out from the cold winds again. 

Gary...doesn't really have any more plans for the day. He'll check up on Little Cato, then go ahead from there. Hopefully. He really hopes the kid will talk to him today, his silence yesterday made even KVN uneasy. 

Gary takes the stairs back up two at a time and enters his apartment to see the young Ventrexian sitting at the window, his head up against the glass as his eyes stare at the snow drifting in the window. The blond pauses, taking in how calm the kid looks, except for the subtle tension in his shoulders and the way his tail twitches nervously. Almost like he's...waiting for something.

"Hey, Spidercat," Gary greets, walking over to the kid, but stopping to lean against the arm on the couch instead to give the boy some space. "How's it going?"

Little Cato shrugs and mumbles, "It's fine."

"Good, that's, uh, real good," Gary stumbles out awkwardly. "Are you maybe feeling up for a movie? Or a game of cards, maybe? Or...hey! We could go outside and do something in the snow! After a storm like that, it's perfect weather to do whatever."

The blond plasters on his biggest grin when the kid looks over at him. Gary can see some excitement spark in his eyes at the suggestions, but Little Cato closes himself off and turns back to his vigilant watch out the window.

"No thanks, Gary," he mutters quietly. He brings his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them, looking every bit like the definition of loneliness. "You can go back downstairs and get work done, okay? And I'm not hungry either, so don't worry about dinner."

Gary frowns at that. "Buddy, you need to eat."

"I don't want to, okay? Just leave me alone for now," Little Cato responds with a little heat.

"Okay...but if you change your mind...," Gary trails off, waiting for the kid to jump at the suggestion.

"Yeah, got it."

Little Cato doesn't say anything else or even recognize Gary's presence, so the man walks back downstairs to the garage with dread coiling in his chest. He never expected to miss having a kid bouncing around him at all times of the day, but the fireball of a Ventrexian he had gotten to know over the past month made everything seem so much brighter. Now, Gary feels Quinn and Avocato's absence at his side more than ever. 

Gary stares at KVN and Mooncake running circles around each other while HUE rambles on about something, his words landing on deaf ears. The blond swivels his head towards his hovercycle and the remaining work to be done on it. He dives into it without thinking, working and fixing and repairing in a way he knows he can't do with Little Cato until HUE has to drag him back upstairs to go to bed. 

Little Cato is asleep by the time he finally goes back up into his apartment, so Gary just changes into pajamas and crashes on the couch, falling asleep quickly just to get his mind away from everything else.

* * *

He's a kid again, sitting in his treehouse, kicking his legs idly as he watches his dad climb up the ladder to join him. There's a jar in his hand, and Gary freezes as the green caterpillar inside of it makes him remember what day it is. His dad is going to die today. 

His dad finally comes to rest next to his son, a smile on his face as he holds Mooncake and stares out at the backyard. 

"Hey, bud—"

"Don't go to work today!" Gary yells, tears pooling in his eyes as he snatches his dad's uniform shirt and shakes him with his small, trembling arms. "You can't go!"

His dad frowns, setting down Mooncake and gently prying his son's trembling fingers from his shirt. "Woah woah, hey, kiddo. What's wrong? Why can't I go to work today?"

Gary feels the tears before he feels the need to cry as all of his pent up emotions over this day spill out with his dad alive and in front of him. The caring look in his dad's green eyes make him long for when everything in his life was simple like this, when he had a loving home and didn't know about the dangers in the world. 

"Because you're gonna go to work and die and leave me all alone! And then—," Gary hiccups through this tears and frantic speech, "—and then I'm all alone and I mess _everything_ up and get arrested and kill people and hurt the only people I care about! I–I never grow up to be like you, so please don't go to work!"

He's full on sobbing now, and Gary doesn't care if he's a grown man who should have a hold over himself because his dad is here and he can fix _everything_, just like he always used to. 

His dad wipes away a few of his tears with a soft hand and brings him into a warm, comforting hug. It's strong and solid yet _so gentle_ that it makes him weep even more. 

"Hey, kiddo. It's okay, none of that is ever going to happen. I'm gonna go to work, and then I'll wake you up tomorrow for some birthday waffles. Just like always, right?"

Gary listens to words that sound so truthful coming from his dad that he's almost convinced it will happen. But as much as he wants things to be fixed and go back to how they were, he knows it will never happen. He has to take care of Little Cato, protect Mooncake, and help Quinn. 

He's still hugging his dad, but he can feel the sensation of buzzing nothingness where his prosthetic arm is. His leather jacket ruffles with the warm June winds. He's not a kid anymore, and he hasn't been for a long time. 

He pulls away from his dad to wipe away at his own tears, but his voice still comes out choked when he speaks. "I failed them all. I got my best friend killed, Quinn probably still hates me even though we're starting to fix things, and Little Cato.... I–I can't take care of the kid the way he needs me to, and it's because I messed up so badly after you died. You would be so disappointed in me if you knew what I had done...."

His dad shakes his head at Gary, gripping his shoulders firmly. "None of that, I'm sure that you're doing a great job, even without me."

"I've done so many bad things! I'll never be anything like you!" Gary screams, grabbing his hair tightly as he stares at the most perfect person who's ever existed. "What if—what if I mess up even more than I already have?!

"You try your best."

Gary pauses in his anguish to stare into his father's eyes. There's nothing but dedication and adoration in them, and Gary wants to start weeping all over again at how surreal this all is.

"What if my best isn't good enough?" he questions miserably.

His dad merely smiles at him warmly, the heat of the sun making the cold fear wrapped around Gary's heart disappear. 

"It's good enough for me."

* * *

Gary wakes up with a start from his dream as Mooncake and HUE bump into him and shake him respectively. He groans, feeling disoriented and confused but so relieved at the same time. The shaking and chirping from Mooncake is threatening to give him a headache, but he sits up despite it and shoos them away. 

"What? What are you two doing?" Gary grumbles, rubbing some of the sleep out of his eyes as he yawns. It's still dark out, so it has to be some ungodly time at night.

"Gary, Little Cato is gone," HUE says, his robotic voice lacking any urgency yet displaying it all the same. 

The blond freezes, whipping his head towards the robot in shock before scrambling off of the couch to see that the bed is empty and there's a sinking pit growing in his stomach as he notices a note on the kitchen island. He runs to it, reading the words over once, and all of the relief and warmth he got from the dream he just had is snuffed out in seconds as the realization shocks cold fear into his system. 

Little Cato ran away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAA I'M FINALLY BACK
> 
> College is pain, and here's a fun tip: don't take 21 credits unless you absolutely have to. It was painful, but I finished with good grades and that's all that matters.
> 
> Thank you all for being so patient! I'm literally jumping with joy to finally be able to update this baby, so without further adieu, I am back for good so expect some more updates. Am I gonna pretend to have a schedule? Yes, but it's gonna be messy.
> 
> I'm also sorry to come back after forever just to hurt you, but hey, you guys like the pain. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW


	12. Searchlight

Gary's face was flushed, and he was kind of dizzy—but in a good way. A _great_ way, to be honest. Ohhh, he was so _warm and fuzzy_, or was that just his body leaning against Avocato's equally warm body? It was probably both; both seemed like a good idea. 

Speaking of good ideas.... "Avocato, you, my friend, are a _genius_!" Gary yelled, sloppily, managing to link his arm around Avocato's shoulders with an even tighter grip. "I totally needed this, 'sbeen a _looooong_ time since I got wasted."

Avocato chuckled underneath him, and Gary giggled stupidly as the feeling reverberated into his own chest. The two were absolutely wasted on the ground of Gary's complete garbage can of an apartment, bottles of very illegal alien alcohol in their hands. Avocato's fur tickled Gary's face as they both shifted, making Gary dissolve into a fit of laughter that Avocato couldn't help but join with his deep, strong laugh. 

The human's face warmed significantly listening to his friend's pure joy after his total depression earlier in the day. He had been so..._sad_ about failing to find his son again, and he immediately proposed having a night of drinking to wash away all the sorrows. 

Sorrow was such a weird word. What did it rhyme with? Borrow? Tomorrow? How could anyone use that word in a song?

"Hey, Gary?" Avocato asked while setting his head on top of Gary's. 

"Wassup my Avo-kitten?" he slurred in response, then he took a big swig of his drink. Damn, this stuff was strong. 

"You ever wanted kids?"

The question caught him off-guard, and Gary spluttered helplessly at the surprisingly honest query from his companion. Were they already at the open feelings therapy session part of the drunkenness? If they continued to drink, they would be at the run naked in the streets level in no time. Which, by the way, was not as fun as Gary wished it had been. It had just been cold and desolate, kinda like an empty freezer. Yeah, that was the best analogy. 

Oh, wait, the question. Duh, he forgot to answer. How silly of him. 

Gary shrugged clumsily. "Don't know, never really thought 'bout it. 'Was always too much of a screw up to even consider it, so I guess not."

Avocato whipped his head towards Gary so quickly that it gave the blond whiplash, but what really caught him off-guard was Avocato's teary eyed gaze. Oh boy oh boy, his bro was crying?! Avocato's warm, fuzzy paws—they were paws, and he would not let the Ventrexian slander the good paws' names by declaring them to be fuzzy hands, Gary would never let that atrocity pass—drunkenly yet gently cupped the blond's face as he got right up into Gary's face. They were so close that Gary could feel the Ventrexian's warm breath on his face. 

"You are not a screw up, Gary! You—you're so good," Avocato wailed, shaking Gary's face. "If you had kids, you would be so nice to them and everything and be such a good dad, but I'm a horrible one. And you're so _good_, baby. _So good_."

Gary just sat there in wasted shock, his slowed down brain taking a while to process his friend's words. When he finally understood, Gary snorted. "Avocato, I would ruin a kid. I mean, look at me! Got in prison for only one of the crimes, and it wasn't even the worst one!"

Avocato's nose scrunched up as he shook his head intensely. "I would trust you with my son's life," he said shakily, his voice trembling from the tears that wouldn't spill, yet it was full of convinction. Even drunk as all hell, Avocato wouldn't cry for anything. 

Now Gary felt like crying, so he tossed his empty bottle aside and grabbed his friend's cheeks firmly. "I am gonna be the _best_ uncle to the little guy, I swear–I swear on Mooncake. You hear me? You better prepare for Garyyy Goodspeed to come over with, like, presents and crap and whatever else, I can't really think right now, but 's gonna be awesome!"

Avocato nodded emotionally, Gary's hands on his soft cheeks following him for the ride. A small, tipsy smirk spread across Avocato's lips, and Gary's closeness to his face made his heart beat faster. 

"Oh, I know you are, baby," Avocato said with the utmost certainty in his voice, despite the obvious slurring. 

In that moment, Gary could have sworn that they were both sober from the knowing and understanding look that passed between them. Avocato's hands held the human's face more carefully, rubbing a thumb across his cheekbone that stole Gary's breath away. Gary bit his lip nervously while raising an eyebrow at his friend—his very warm cat-man friend who he would undoubtedly die for, and who is only slightly less of a lightweight than he is—who shifted his body to be less on top of Gary and more next to him. 

They both leaned in for the kiss at the exact same moment, but it was short and quick and totally unsure. They smiled at each other, inebriated beyond belief and waiting for the hangovers that they would surely have tomorrow, and then practically scrambled through the nonexistent distance between each other to kiss again in their drunken passion that they hoped they would remember come morning.

* * *

Gary is scrambling to put his boots on and throw himself out of his apartment. He's probably already too late though. God, what is he going to do? Little Cato's note sits heavily in his pocket, making him move faster than he ever thought possible. 

"HUE, tell me again how you managed to not stop him when you saw him sneak out?" Gary asks frantically, throwing his coat on and grabbing a bag from the closet to put Little Cato's coat in. He's honestly more upset that the kid didn't take anything from Gary's apartment after running away forever in the middle of winter. The kid knows how cold it is out!

"I tried to stop him. I reached out my hand and told him not to go, but he just casually walked past me. I followed him downstairs, but he was too fast for me," HUE explains.

Gary rolls his eyes as he fishes his bike helmet out of the depths of the closet. "Wow, you did all that," he says sarcastically in response. 

"What good is a body if none will respect it?!"

The blond ignores HUE's mistimed turmoil to snatch his phone from where it's charging and shove it in his pocket. 

"Okay, HUE, stay here in case he comes back and call Nightfall for me and tell her what happened. KVN, be useful for once and go out and look around. Mooncake, with me," Gary orders, running out the door with Mooncake trailing after him. 

He is so glad that he was depressed yesterday and finally finished the repairs on his bike, otherwise this task would have been a lot harder to complete. He flies down the stairs into the garage, ripping his keys off of their ring to turn it on and scrambling for his blaster where he keeps it hidden. Gary slips his red helmet on while Mooncake opens the garage door for him, and he speeds out into the cold night. Mooncake catches up with him and sits down in his lap, so Gary goes as fast as he can. 

Gary is worried. Okay, that feels like an understatement. It's more like absolutely terrified. He wants to just sit down and read that note over and over again in the hopes that he was just tired and read it wrong. That Little Cato didn't run away saying that he doesn't belong anywhere, especially with Gary. That the note doesn't say in shaky handwriting that the kid wants Gary to never go after him, even underlining it to make his point more obvious. The P.S. of "I'm sorry" makes the pit in Gary's stomach merely drop down further. What the hell is the kid sorry about?!

He hears Mooncake coo comfortingly and looks down at his little buddy. He smiles underneath his helmet and then puts his attention back onto the limited traffic in front of him. "Thanks, Mooncake."

"Pok pok chookity!"

Gary nods. "Yeah, you're right. He's gonna be fine."

At least, Gary hopes. If the kid is injured or worse, Gary doesn't know _what_ he'll do with himself. 

The blond knows that the kid is smart, so he'll have found a way to get far away from Gary's apartment quickly. Well, a whole hour between Little Cato leaving and Gary waking up is a long time and gave the kid plenty of options.

Okay, he needs to come up with a game plan. Gary could do that, planning time is good. 

KVN will be lazy and will only look around his apartment. Once Nightfall gets involved, she'll have a better chance at tracking the kid down with street cameras so Gary can go get him wherever he is. He's going to have to thank her big time once Little Cato is found...for the second time. 

Man, his life is really crazy. 

Gary shakes his head to clear his thoughts and continues to speed through the streets, keeping an eye out for a flash of orange that resembles Spidercat. 

He has to find his kid, and fast. 

Gary falters for a moment as his last thought really hits him, that he just referred to his best friend's son as _his kid_. He blinks, slowing down his hovercycle for a short moment, before refocusing on his task. 

Figuring that out can wait for later.

* * *

Gary turned to watch his Spidercat bounce back down the stairs in his winter gear to go to the store. He had been surprised when the kid had asked to buy something, but who was he to turn him down? If it was candy, Gary would be proud of his purchase. Okay, he would be proud no matter what it was because the Ventrexian was _finally_ breaking out of his comfort zone. 

Mooncake floated up to the boy to give him one of his patented face hugs, and the boy returned it with a laugh. Gary smiled as he handed the kid his phone who took it willingly. "Take my phone in case anything happens, okay? And have fun, Spidercat."

The boy nodded and started heading out, but Gary called out to him when he noticed his bare hands, "Don't forget your gloves!"

Spidercat snatched them from the counter as the door slid open to let him out, tossing out a quick, "Yeah, yeah. I've got 'em, Dad," before he walked out into the cold, the door sliding shut behind him. 

Gary's eyes blew wide open at the same moment he heard the kid's muffled embarrassed screaming outside, and he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. Had...had that just happened?!

"He just called me dad," Gary stated dumbly. 

"Yes, Gary. That is what appears to have happened," HUE said next to him. 

Gary's brain had turned off, shut down completely at the kid's words. Him? A _dad_?

"He...just called me dad," Gary repeated, somehow even more incredulously than the first time. 

He wasn't a dad. He couldn't be one, he was—he was too _wrong_ for that important of a role. Dads were perfect and never made any mistakes so that their children could grow up happy and healthy. Gary wasn't that, and he would never be that. It was too pure of a word to describe himself, let alone an actual _child_ calling him that. Oh lord, was he already ruining the poor kid?!

HUE set a gentle arm on top of his arm, shocking Gary out of his thoughts. "Gary, if you do not think you would make a good father, what have you been doing this whole time? And what did you plan to do with Little Cato once you found him?"

The reminder about his friend's lost son made Gary's chest hurt, and crap, it also alerted him that he had said all of that aloud with HUE right there. He was really losing it lately, god damn it.

Gary shrugged and spluttered. "I don't know! I always planned to just, like, take care of the kid? That's what Avocato wanted me to do!"

"That is what you have been doing, Gary. What do you think a father does that you have not done with this Ventrexian?" HUE questioned calmly. Damn HUE, always asking the hard questions. 

The blond ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. "Give him stability, or make sure he eats well, and tuck him into bed at night. Play ball or whatever it is those shows always do and that always gets put into Father's Day cards! Spidercat is living with me, that's really it! I can't—I couldn't be his dad."

Gary deflated in the chair with his words, but HUE simply got back into his personal space to stare at him with those eyes that gave nothing away. 

"Gary, you do all of those things."

The human gave his friend a done glare, a frown on his face. 

"HUE," Gary sighed. "Stop messing around with me, you know better than anyone else that I'm not dad material. I literally went to prison."

"Gary, you gave him stability. He has a place to live now where he knows he'll get three meals a day and where he can sleep safely. You took care of him when he was sick, and you always adjust his blankets when the young Ventrexian inevitably kicks them off during the night. And you play games with him, both inside and outside. You've been a parent to him this whole time."

HUE gave his arm a gentle squeeze, and Gary gulped. "No, HUE, you've got it all wrong. I'm—I'm not—I'm a bad influence! I do all that because Spidercat should have all that! He should just be a kid, like I never got to be. 

"And besides," Gary continued, starting to pace the room in his franticness. "The kid had a dad who died, and he clearly loved him. I can't be that! I'm like the cool uncle who shows up with gifts and takes the kids for a ride on my bike at best!"

Mooncake hummed sadly as his little buddy flew up against Gary's face in a hug, the blond quickly returning the comfort. It made him stop his anxious pacing, but the thought of being a father still sat heavily in Gary's chest. 

"You searched for parenting tips on the internet in preparation for Little Cato," HUE said.

Gary rolled his eyes. "That's different, HUE. I just wanted to make sure I didn't poison the kid."

"Are you mad that Spidercat called you dad?"

"What?" Gary asked, crossing his arms in confusion. "Of course not, I couldn't be mad at the kid."

"Then why does it bother you so much?"

"Because I'm not good enough for that, HUE! Can you leave it be? I'm not gonna stop helping the kid, but I just can't be the kid's dad. And besides, he seemed embarrassed about it. It was probably just a slip up, I bet the small fry won't even mention it when he comes back," Gary huffed. 

The blond sat back down on his chair and started working on the hovercar again, effectively ending the conversation with HUE.

Parenthood wasn't for him, not at all. The unspoken question of _what if I ruin him_ ran through Gary's mind. He wasn't about to risk Spidercat or Little Cato's lives by trying to do something he knew was destined for failure.

* * *

Gary has been searching for hours. Apparently, Little Cato was as sneaky as his father and knew exactly how to avoid cameras. Nightfall had done everything she could on the hacker end, so now she's coming to meet up with him so they can discuss a new game plan and find the kid. The sun is out now, and people have been bustling about in morning traffic for a while now. 

His phone vibrates in his pocket, so he takes it out and answers it immediately, hoping for some good news. What meets him instead is a hologram of Clarence, which makes him groan. 

"Why, primate, you never seem to answer my calls on the first ring like this! What's the occasion?" Clarence says in his sickening voice. Sure, it may just be his normal voice, but Gary still hates it.

He groans. "Ugh, Clarence, I don't have the time for this. Make it quick or else I hang up."

At that moment, Mooncake flies away with an excited chirp to the end of the alley he's parked in towards an approaching figure. Nightfall stops to let Mooncake crash into her, and she smiles at the little green ball. Gary waves at her as she comes over to him, and it only dawns on Gary right when Nightfall cocks an eyebrow at his phone in his hand that he realizes Clarence has been speaking this whole time. 

"—so will you do it?" Clarence finishes as Gary turns his head back to the old man. 

Gary has more pressing matters than this dick, so he nods absentmindedly and says, "Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll do it. Now don't call me again."

Gary hangs up and pockets his phone, his attention now drawn to Nightfall.

"Hey, sorry I have to keep asking you to do all of this stuff," Gary says to Nightfall with a tired smile.

She shakes her head in response. "Don't worry about it, it's an important cause. Also, I can't believe Clarence is still alive. I had hoped you would've killed that slimy little hobgoblin by now."

Gary shrugs in response. "I avoid him at all costs, but I'll definitely give you the honors."

The two laugh, Gary's sounding exhausted and Nightfall's being strong, just like her. Mooncake settles down next to Gary, so he gives his little buddy a pat on the head. 

"Gary, before we keep going, how do you plan to get Little Cato back?" Nightfall asks casually. 

The blond tilts his head in confusion. "Well, once we find him, he's gonna see all that we did to find him, and then he'll have to come back."

Nightfall doesn't look impressed, even crossing her arms to make her point. "Really, that's all you've got?"

"Well, that's the gist of it...," Gary mumbles, scratching the back of his neck. 

She sighs. "Gary, after your dad died, what did you want more than anything?" Gary opens his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off quickly, "And don't say a cookie."

He pouts for a second, but then he sobers up again. "I guess, a normal life?"

"Exactly. HUE told me everything, so whatever this kid's going through, you're gonna have to step up for him." Night fall leans against Gary's bike next to him, giving a determined stare that he knows means she won't accept any arguments. 

Gary tries to argue anyways. "I'm doing the most I can."

"Then maybe you should consider giving up," she states matter-of-factly. She stands up and starts walking away from him. "I'm going to look around the last place I was able to catch him. I texted you the possible places he could have headed from there. Think about what I said, okay?"

Nightfall turns the corner and disappears, leaving Gary to feel guilty all over again. He leans his head back against the cold brick building, and Mooncake hums sadly next to him. He really has been doing the most he could for the kid, couldn't she see that?

Either way, Gary can't let himself mope while Little Cato is still out there. With Nightfall's words still ringing in the alleyway, he stands and hops back on his hovercycle with a newfound resolve.

* * *

Gary continues his silent vigil of the busy streets underneath the gaudy lights of one of the worst parts of New York, watching people ambling about and bouncing between bars and strip clubs with an odd speed, like it's the last thing they'll ever do. This is the part of town where he had first met Little Cato. Staring at it all again makes him very glad that the kid had only received minimal injuries from this place. 

The blond is sitting on his bike, watching people pass by with a sigh. It's night now, so Gary notices the way signs and street lamps reflect off of the steel buildings and the snow dusting the ground. He's so mad that none of them have found Little Cato yet. 

He also doesn't know why he's just expecting the kid to pop his head out and walk right over to him like what he'll do when they split up in the store. It's stupid, but Gary needs something to cling on to right now. 

A blue alien walks past Gary, so he tries his luck. "Hey, have you seen a kid around here?"

The man rolls his eyes. "There's tons of kids running around here, you gotta be more specific, man."

"An orange Ventrexian, blue mohawk. Small, but don't tell him I said that."

"Yeah, actually. Think I saw him go into an alley that way." The man points to Gary's left, and he thinks he knows exactly where the kid will be.

"Thanks, man. You're the best!" Gary says, swinging his leg over his bike and tossing his helmet back on. 

But before Gary can get going, the man coughs slightly, so Gary turns towards his awaiting hand with a short sigh. He fishes his wallet out of his pocket and drops a twenty down. The man nods at him and walks away, so Gary waits for Mooncake to settle back in before he turns his hovercycle around and speeds off to go find Little Cato. 

Gary hopes for his sake and the kid's that Little Cato is where he thinks he is. Mooncake coos encouragingly against him as he races through the street, dodging all the cars that don't respect the rules of the road because no one does around here. 

He slows down as he approaches a mundane alleyway that most people would look past without a second glance, but Gary knows what it is. He flies down lightly and turns his bike off, leaning it against the wall of the alley. Carelessly, he tosses his helmet onto the seat as he stares into the alley, and the cold grip around his heart lessens as he notices the small, orange form curled up against the wall. 

A smile plays at Gary's lips from the relief of the kid not being dead. The light at the other end of the alley creeps into the darkness, shining neon colored lights onto the small form. Gary steps into the darkness, ignoring the din of people behind him hurrying through the streets. 

"Little Cato," Gary says, jogging over to the boy in his haste. 

The kid looks up at him with sad eyes, but he looks okay other than that. Little Cato looks surprised to see him, but then his face becomes guarded as he glowers at Gary. 

"Go away," he hisses as he brings his knees closer to his chest. 

Gary puts his hands on his hips. "Hey, don't do that. Not after everything," he says, his voice gentle yet commanding.

"I said go away!" Little Cato yells.

Gary sits down heavily next to Little Cato despite the kid's words, and he opens the bag on his hip and tosses the boy's coat at him. Little Cato just pushes it off onto the ground, and when Gary leans over to give it to him again, the Ventrexian shoves at the blond. 

"I thought I told you to stay away from me," Little Cato mumbles into his arms angrily.

Gary shrugs. "Well, did you really think I wouldn't go looking for you?"

The boy glances at Gary for a second, then resumes his glaring contest with the ground. His tail uncurls from around his body, instead starting to flick Gary's leg repeatedly as it sways back and forth anxiously. 

"Come back, Little Cato. It's cold, and you're probably hungry. We can go get some food," Gary says. 

"No," Little Cato says emphatically. "I don't belong there, and I never did."

"Hey," Gary whispers. "You know I promised your dad that I would take care of you, right?"

Little Cato sniffs. "I don't deserve that."

Gary frowns and places a hand on the kid's shoulder, but the Ventrexian just shrugs it off. The boy's tail has stopped twitching, yet now the kid's entire body is shivering; Gary doesn't think it's just from the cold, even though he wishes it is.

"Spidercat—"

"No, Gary," Little Cato says, his voice breaking, "You don't get it."

Gary pauses, sensing the kid's obvious distress. There's something that Little Cato isn't telling him that would make all this so much clearer, but Gary doesn't know if he should push him to open up. 

Luckily for his overworking brain, Little Cato decides for him. "He died because of me," he mutters miserably, tears pooling in his eyes quickly.

The blond's heart hurts hearing the kid blame himself for something that was Gary's fault in the first place, so he places a gentle hand on his back to rub it. It says a lot when Little Cato doesn't shy away from the touch. 

"Little Cato, it wasn't—"

"No, I _killed_ him!" Little Cato interrupts. 

"Stop that, buddy—"

"Gary!" Little Cato shouts, standing up and backing away from the man. Gary just sits there and looks up at the kid, watching as the tears pour down his face. 

"I–I was the one who shot him," he cries, valiantly attempting to wipe away the tears that won't stop. "The Lord Commander, he–he drugged me, and I _killed him_ and I knew I was doing it but I couldn't stop it! I knew if I told you, you would hate me for killing your best friend, so just _go already_!"

Little Cato collapses onto his knees as he's overcome with sobs wracking his small chest. There's nothing the poor kid—_his_ kid—can do to stop them because every time he wipes a few away, more fall. 

Gary can only sit there in shock, but Little Cato quickly interprets his silence. "See?! You hate me now, so just–you don't have to pretend anymore...."

Gary shakes himself out of his surprise and horror at what that _bastard_ put this kid through to stand up and engulf Little Cato in a hug. The Ventrexian stiffens against him, his sobbing pausing in surprise at the contact. All too soon, his Spidercat starts crying even more as he clings to Gary's jacket, his whole body shaking. The blond just holds him closer, letting a few tears slide down his own cheeks. 

He's so angry and frustrated that the Lord Commander is hurting this kid even now that he's finally free from his imprisonment. Little Cato never deserved this kind of hurt, and Gary wishes so _badly_ that he could have done something to stop him. Losing his father was one kind of pain that Gary knew all too well, but living with the guilt of being the one to shoot him? It wasn't Little Cato's fault, and he will never blame the Ventrexian for what happened. Gary's need for revenge is at an all time high as he rubs soothing circles into the kid's back. Mooncake joins the hug, cooing to help calm down Little Cato. 

When his Spidercat isn't shaking as much, Gary begins to speak softly. "I know what happened with your dad hurt, but it will never be your fault. Sometimes–sometimes our hearts go _all in_, and we get wiped out. But you gotta stick it out. The only way out is through."

Gary pauses for a moment as the kid looks up at him with those teary eyes of his that Gary would risk the whole world for. Looking at Little Cato like this, right now, finally makes what Gary has been thinking and feeling click into place, solving the puzzle at last. 

He wipes a few stray tears away from Little Cato's face with his flesh hand, then he asks, terribly quiet and cautious, "What do you say I, uh—I adopt you?"

Now that the words are out in the open, Gary feels so relieved. He watches as Little Cato's eyes widen in surprise, and his mouth opens and closes a few times in shock. 

"You wanna be my dad?" the kid whispers, as if saying the words out loud would break the illusion.

A little bit of fear blooms in Gary's chest, but he continues anyways with a small nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, buddy. I'm not gonna replace Avocato or anything, and you don't have to change your name to Little Goodspeed or—!"

The human is cut off before his rambling gets the best of him by Little Cato crashing into his chest and giving him his best equivalent of a bear hug despite his small size. Gary's mouth hangs open in surprise, but he smiles warmly when he notices his kid's bright smile. The look on his Spidercat's face is warmer than how his face lit up when Gary taught him how to make pancakes, and his heart absolutely melts at the sight. 

He returns the hug full force, comforting the kid through the few remaining sobs he has left in his system. Mooncake is humming happily inside their hug, and Little Cato just buries his face further into Gary's chest. 

This is what he's felt the need to do. He'll have to thank Nightfall and HUE for making him see some sense. He may be terrified that he just signed up for parenthood, but hugging Little Cato like this makes it feel significantly less daunting. 

He's going to have to think of some good dad jokes. 

Gary feels Little Cato shiver against him, and he smirks. "So running away without taking your winter jacket wasn't a good idea, was it?"

The kid laughs quickly as he pulls away from his new dad to pick up the coat he had abandoned to slip it on. He practically melts into it, so Gary tugs his hood over his head playfully and ruffles it, making the kid laugh again. 

"Say, how about we go get some food from that diner?" Gary asks while taking his phone out of his pocket. Little Cato nods, so the blond sends a quick text to Nightfall telling her to meet them there. 

Gary leads the kid over to his hovercycle, so they both climb on. But this time, Gary lets Little Cato sit in front of him on the bike. The kid stares at it in awe. "Woah, you fixed it already?"

Slipping his helmet on with a smile, Gary laughs. "Yeah, bud, and you're about to get a front view of this baby in action!" 

Gary should have thought about getting the kid a helmet sooner, but he'll be okay. 

He turns the bike on and speeds out of the alleyway, an excited whoop sounding from Little Cato. The roads are pretty empty, so Gary takes advantage of it by flying above all the other cars to give himself the opportunity to just watch how Little Cato's eyes reflect the multi-colored lights they zoom past. The kid is having a blast, and his boy's excited smile coupled with Mooncake's cheerful chirping completely lights up Gary's world and his night, the dark he was in before meeting this kid and even Mooncake paling in comparison when even he starts laughing excitedly. 

"Hey, Little Cato?" Gary shouts above the wind roaring past them. When the kid looks up at him, Gary smiles down at him. "We'll get through this together. As a team. As a squad. As a...team squad!"

Little Cato whoops loudly after Gary's declaration, shouting, "Yeah!" into the night as he leans back against Gary in his seat. 

Maybe he might mess up being a father, and maybe there is someone who would be much better to raise this kid than Gary Goodspeed. But the bright spark of light on Little Cato's face shuns all of his worries away into the clear night sky. 

Besides, he has to focus on making sure Little Cato doesn't drown his pancakes in syrup once again so that Nightfall doesn't threaten his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd apologize for the pain I put you through, but at least there's a happy ending. I have been waiting to write that scene at the end since before I even started writing this fic, so thanks for all the support on this mess to get us this far!!
> 
> This is kinda like the end of part one, but this fic is far from over. So now, PREPARE FOR THE FLUFF. And also...the action!


End file.
